Week 2: Terms Flashcards
Atom
The building block of every physical thing in existence
Only one type of atom for each element
Protein
Makeup parts of cells and organisms
Regulate chemical reactions in cells
Telomere
Telomeres are distinctive structures found at the ends of our chromosomes.
They consist of the same short DNA sequence repeated over and over again
Gene
The basic unit of heredity passed from parent to child. Genes are made up of sequences of DNA and are arranged, one after another, at specific locations on chromosomes in the nucleus of cells.
Evolution
the theory that explains how all living organisms are related and how existing populations adapt to their environments and new species arise.
Takes place as the genetic makeup of a population changes
Element
A substance composed of only one type of atom
Carbohydrate
Provide body with energy
Enzyme
a protein that help make it easier for chemical reactions to occur. They do this by lowering the degree of “start up” energy that is required. They can do this by bending molecules so they can be broken into parts more easily.
Allele
A different version of the same gene
Natural Selection
The mechanism of evolutionary change that leads to adaptation
Over evolutionary time, it has led to the formation of new species, creating diversity on earth
Nucleic Acid
Made from nucleotides
Store and express genomic information
Lipid
Used to store excess food, insulate the body and absorb shock for internal organs
The essential structural component of cell membranes
Metabolism
Taking in energy and matter and using them in a controlled way to promote responsiveness, survival and reproduction
Gamete
a mature haploid male or female germ cell which is able to unite with another of the opposite sex in sexual reproduction to form a zygote.
In other words, during meiosis, the parent chromosomes sort into new egg and sperm cells called gametes
Adaptation
A change or the process of change by which an organism or species becomes better suited to its environment.
