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PSYC 211 > Lecture 2: Intro to Biological Systems > Flashcards

Lecture 2: Intro to Biological Systems Flashcards

1
Q

Who advanced the field of behavioural neuroscience the most?

A

Charles Darwin (evolution)

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2
Q

T or F: All animals in the world are descendants of a common ancestor.

A

True

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3
Q

Atoms consist of

A

protons, neutrons, and electrons

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4
Q

Most (>99.9%) of the atoms in the universe are

A

hydrogen and helium

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5
Q

When were protons, neutrons, electrons and atoms formed?

A

We think protons and neutrons and electrons were formed seconds after the big bang.
But it took thousands of years for the Earth to cool down enough to make atoms

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6
Q

Looking in any direction, the oldest light we can detect is

A

13.7 billion years old.

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7
Q

The area of space where the oldest light originated from is now ____

A

46 billion light years away

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8
Q

Atom

A

a chemical element

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9
Q

Molecule

A

Atoms bonded together

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10
Q

how many elements have been identified?

A

118

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11
Q

how many elements are found naturally on Earth?

A

94

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12
Q

The air we breathe is largely (99%)

A

N2 & O2

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13
Q

chemical reaction

A

A molecule being formed, broken, or modified in some way

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14
Q

T or F: Living entities (cells) regulate chemical reactions to grow, accomplish things, and manipulate their environment

A

T

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15
Q

Ions

A

A molecule or single atom that has an electric charge

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16
Q

Ionic bonds

A

Bonds formed by electrically charged ions

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17
Q

Salts

A

Molecules held together by ionic bonds

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18
Q

T or F: Ionic bonds often break apart (dissolve) in water

A

T

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19
Q

The main elements of cells are:

A

59% Hydrogen (H, the element with 1 proton)
24% Oxygen (O, the element with 8 protons)
11% Carbon (C, the element with 6 protons)
4% Nitrogen (N, the element with 7 protons)
2% Others (phosphorus, sulfur, …)

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20
Q

CHNOPS

A

carbon, hydrogen, nitrogen, oxygen, phosphorus, sulfur, represents the six most important chemical elements whose covalent combinations make up most biological molecules on Earth.

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21
Q

T or F: CHNOPS elements primarily exist alone

A

False; Primarily in the form of molecules (rarely exist in the cell alone)

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22
Q

Basic molecules of life

A

Water
Sugar
Lipid
Nucleic acid
Amino acid

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23
Q

most abudant molecule of life

A

water

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24
Q

T or F: All basic molecules of life formed naturally on Earth before the first lifeform

A

T

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25
the basic molecules of life are found in
chain-link structures
26
How much of the cell mass does water make up?
70%
27
Besides water, what are cells made up of?
15% Sugars 10% Lipids 15% Nucleic acids 10% Other organic (CHNOPS) molecules
28
Carbohydrates
Strings of sugar molecules
29
cell membranes and vesicles are made of
lipids
30
nucleic acids example
strings of DNA & RNA
31
RNA
- a self-replicating strand of nucleic acid. - can catalyze chemical reactions - some think it was the first self-replicating entity
32
Phospholipids
strands of fat (lipid) with a phosphate cap
33
Phospholipid Bilayer
Thin membrane that doesn't allow things that dissolve in water to cross
34
RNA vs. DNA
DNA is less fragile and abundant so it overtook RNA as the primary means of information storage
35
Protein enzymes vs. RNA
RNA- based enzymes probably started incorporating proteins in them and eventually, protein enzymes began to replace RNA enzymes as the main catalyst of life’s chemical reactions
36
cytoplasm
a solution of water, salt, and sugar in which organelles are suspended
37
DNA
strings of nucleic acids
38
Ribosomes
- made of proteins and nucleic acids - function: make proteins, which involves linking together amino acids in the order dictated by the genetic code.
39
prokaryotic cell
- Formed within the 1st billion years - Basically, a cell membrane filled with the cytoplasm, and ribosomes and DNA floating around
40
proteins
Strings of amino acids that do things in cells (mediate transport and storage and serve as messengers)
41
enzymes
proteins that catalyze chemical reactions
42
receptors
proteins that sense things and react accordingly
43
chromosome
A strand of compacted DNA
44
mitochondria
semi-autonomous double membrane-bound organelles. They generate ATP, the cell’s main source of chemical energy
45
Lysosomes
"garbage machines" that contain digestive enzymes
46
eukaryotic cell
- appeared ~2 billion years after the prokaryotic cell - similar but has DNA compacted into the nucleus & mitochondria
47
Gene
a section (functional unit) of a chromosome. It is a section of DNA that encodes a specific protein
48
Ribosomes
translate RNA into proteins
49
genome
all of a cell/organism’s DNA. Provides the information necessary to synthesize all of the cell’s proteins.
50
how many genes are in the human genome?
20,000
51
isoforms
different versions of a protein that are made from one gene
52
soma
Where the nucleus is located
53
how are neurons defined?
based on where their soma is
54
Cell membrane
defines the boundary of the cell. It consists of lipids and is embedded with proteins that have special functions
55
microtubules
allow for rapid transport of material throughout the neuron
56
Evolution of multi-cellular organisms
- Earth was formed 4.5 billion years ago - Sometime in the first billion years, one self-replicating cellular entity emerged - Sometime in the next 2 billion years eukaryotic cells formed - We think a big bacteria ate a smaller one which created a eukaryotic cell - Collections of eukaryotic cells came together to form multicellular organisms - Once multicellular organisms formed, cells began to specialize and the structure and function of life became almost limitless
57
When did nerve cells evolve?
around 600 million years ago
58
When did animals first appear?
around 650 million years ago
59
Studying neurons
Neurons haven't changed much in the last 600 million years, so we can study the neurons of other animals (ex. rodents)
60
Why are rodents ideal test subjects?
- Rodents are evolutionarily closer to humans than cats, dogs, bats, etc. - small size - we find it unethical to use other primates because of how genetically similar they are to humans
61
The debate on animal research in behavioural neuroscience
is it ethical to torture animals if it means coming closer to understanding human neurological processes?
62
closest living relatives of humans
other hominids: chimpanzees, gorillas, and orangutans most similar: chimpanzees (98% of shared DNA)
63
why are humans smarter than other hominids?
- After birth, the human brain continues to grow larger and heavier - Production of new neurons almost ceases at birth, but those that are already present grow and establish connections with each other and other types of brain cells, which protect and support neurons begin to proliferate
64
when does the human brain reach its adult size?
late adolescence
65
what is the adult size of the human brain?
1400 g
66
how much larger is an adult brain than a newborn's
4 times
67
the femi paradox
Within our galaxy, there are estimated to be about 40 billion planets that could support life. So, where is everybody?
68
how are proteins created?
1. transcription (DNA to RNA) 2. translation (RNA to protein)
69
neoteny
extended youth of the human brain

PSYC 211 (23 decks)

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