What is life?

Principles of Biology I (BIOLOGY 113) Notes 2014Trinity Western University

fdfdfd biology is a quest, an ongoing inquiry about the nature of life Reece et al. p. 2 many opportunities to participate in this inquiry at Trinity Western University

But what is life?After this first set of notes, the notes for Biology 113 will be made available at least 24 hrs before class on the MyCourses web site: https://courses.mytwu.ca/

("For since the creation of the world God's invisible qualities--his eternal power and divine nature--have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men are without excuse (Romans 1:20)

The remarkable round-leaved sundew Found in bogs and marshes across Canada (and throughout the world) Red glandular hairs secret sticky substance to capture insects Insects digested Why? Boggy habitats= Low in nutrientsGod cares for birds too

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell. Are not two sparrows sold for a penny? Yet not one of them will fall to the ground apart from the will of your Father. And even the very hairs of your head are all numbered. Matthew 10:28-30

What scientists think...Biophilia an innate attraction to life in its diverse forms (E.O. Wilson)

"The basic ingredient for a love of learning is the same as romantic love, or love of country, or of God: passion for a particular subject. Knowledge accompanied by pleasurable emotion stays with us. It jumps to the surface and , when summoned, triggers other memory linkages to create metaphor, the cutting edge of creative thought. Rote learning, in contrast, fades quickly into a jumble of words, facts and anecdotes. The Holy Grail of liberal education is the formula by which passion can be systematically expanded for both science and humanities, hence for the best in culture." E.O. Wilson, The Creation, pg.127 Experiencing creation

Biology is much more than preserved frogs, fetal pigs, and gel plates. These common laboratory materials are a poor reflection of the creation. If you are a student of biology who might want to see in your studies much more of Gods glory, you need to leave the laboratory and get out into the natural world. Richard Wright, Biology Through the Eyes of Faith, p. 28.

e.g., Salt Spring Island Travel study Plant Ecology (BIOL 316) and Marine Ecology (BIOL 382) Or the Hawaii Travel Study

Coral Reef Ecology (BIOL 364) and Tropical Botany (BIOL 318)

Trouble in Paradise

We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time. (Romans 8:19)

Many current examples of a groaning creation

Pollution in Hong Kong or Beijing The Hawaiian Po'o-uli last known individual died in captivity, December 2004New textbook editions

The 9th edition of Dolphin will definitely not work get the 10th

many changes in the Canadian edition of Campbell Biology figures shown in class will be the figures for the Canadian edition some advances have been made in biology that are reflected in the new edition, such as new ways of classifying organisms So = easier to use the new editionInformation Overload!

more than a half billion new biological research articles produced annually, but complexity of life often defies explanation biology is diverse both in variety of species, and the variety of approaches; microscopic/macroscopic, cells/whole organisms; present/past life formsEmergent Properties

Ernest Rutherford: "In science there is only physics; all the rest is stamp collecting biological stamp collection reveals emergent properties (whole greater than the sum of the parts)

i.e., principles of design in the creation/evolution of life

Emergent example

Scotch broom- elaiosomes -antsReductionism

Because emergent properties complicate things, biologists must be reductionists But does this take us too far?

e.g., James Watson and Francis Crick brought us DNA, but did they steal the soul?What is life? A box of chocolates?Seven Chocolates (properties of life)

1. Order 2. Evolutionary adaptation 3. Response to the environment 4. Regulation 5. Energy processing 6. Growth and development 7. ReproductionIs this life?Ebola Virus- has the same properties as life3