Properties/Characteristics of living things (LT)

1. Cellular organization - made of 1 or more cells

2. Reproduction - able to reproduce

3. Metabolism - obtain/use energy to run life processes

4. Homeostasis - maintain consistent internal environ

5. Heredity - pass traits to offspring

6. Responsiveness - respond/adjust to environment

7. Growth and development - grow/develop

Section 1-1

Cell Structure/Function:•All LT are made of 1 or more cells•Cell is smallest unit of life, yet complex•Membrane surround/protect all cells

Reproduction:•Organism makes more of its own kind from one generation to the next

Section 1-1

Metabolism:•Sum of all chemical reactions carried out by an organism•Almost all energy used by a LT was originally captured from sunlight

Homeostasis:•Maintain constant internal environment w/in cell•If unable to maintain homeostasis, then organism may become ill and die

Section 1-1

Heredity:•Passing of traits (genes) from parent to offspring•Genes are encoded in DNA deoxyribonucleic acid•Change (∆) in DNA is a mutation and most are harmful, but some may help organism to survive

Evolution:•∆ in species over a very long period of time•Species are similar organisms that can produce fertile offspring•Natural selection occurs in organisms w/ favorable traits that help them survive/reproduce

Section 1-1

Ecology/Interdependence:•Organisms are dependent on each other and their environment•Ecology studies interactions of organisms w/ one another and w/ nonliving parts of the environment

Section 1-1

Ways Biology is Making Our Life Better

•Preserving our environment

•Improving food supply

•Understanding human genome

•Fighting disease

Section 1-2

Preserving our Environment:•Conservation biologists are exploring ways to achieve a balance between people’s growing need for land and the need to preserve the environment.

Improving Food Supply:•Genetic engineering of plants has made some resistant to herbicides, or poisonous to pests, or more nutritious.

Section 1-2

Understanding Human Genome:•Genome is the complete genetic material contained in an individual. Government-funded and private research teams completed sequencing of the human genome on 4/14/2003; ≈30,000 genes

Section 1-2

Fighting Diseases (dz):•AIDS: dz caused by HIV; virus attacks/destroys immune system •Cancer: growth defect in cells; breakdown of mechanism that controls cell ÷ •Biologists are fighting new dz not known in the past (West Nile virus, mad cow dz)•Gene Therapy: replace defective gene w/ normal one. Researchers believe it is possible to use a virus to transfer normal copy of a gene into a cell (Cystic fibrosis CF, Muscular dystrophy MD)

Section 1-2

Scientific Process/Method:

Section 1-3

Observation: act of noting/perceiving objects/events using the senses

TASTE

Section 1-3

Observations Lead to Questions:

•Hypothesis: explanation that might be true; statement that can be tested by additional observations or experimentation•Prediction: expected outcome of a test, assuming hypothesis is correct

Section 1-3

Testing the Hypothesis:•Experiment: planned procedure to test hypothesis•Control group : group in experiment that receives no experimental tx; necessary for comparing results of experiment•Independent variable: factor that’s changed in experiment•Dependent variable: variable measured in experiment, its outcome depends on what is done to independent variable.

Section 1-3

Section 1-3

Drawing Conclusions:•Once data are collected/analyzed, conclusion is made as to whether data support hypothesis•Theory: set of related hypotheses tested and confirmed many times by many scientists •Theory unites/explains a broad range of observations•Word theory is used by general public means a guess, or lack of certainty, but in science a theory is a well-supported scientific explanation that