BiO-101 Chapter I

Biology is the study of?

Life

The scope of biology is?

Vast

Biologists may study anything from?

The microscopic or submicroscopic view of a cell to ecosystems and the whole living planet

We can define science as?

knowledge that covers general truths or the operation of general laws, especially when acquired and tested by the scientific method.

The scientific method is a method of?

research with defined steps that include experiments and careful observation.

one of the most important aspects of the scientific method is the testing of?

hypotheses by means of repeatable experiments.

 A hypothesis is?

A suggested explanation for an event, which one can test.

Although using the scientific method is inherent to science, it is inadequate in?

determining what science is.

The scientific method inherent to science and inadequate in determining what science is, is because?

It is relatively easy to apply the scientific method to disciplines such as physics and chemistry, but when it comes to disciplines like archaeology, psychology, and geology, the scientific method becomes less applicable as repeating experiments becomes more difficult.

In  archaeology even though one cannot perform repeatable experiments, what still may be supported?

hypotheses

A hypothesis may become a?

verified theory

A theory is a tested and confirmed explanation for?

observations or phenomena.

We may be better off to define science as?

fields of study that attempt to comprehend the nature of the universe.

Science includes such diverse fields as?

astronomy, biology, computer sciences, geology, logic, physics, chemistry, and mathematics

scientists consider fields of science such as astronomy, biology, computer sciences, geology, logic, physics, chemistry, and mathematics related to?

the physical world and its phenomena and processes natural sciences.

There is no complete agreement when it comes to defining what the natural sciences include, however. For some experts, the natural sciences are?

astronomy, biology, chemistry, earth science, and physics.

life sciences, which study living things include?

biology

physical sciences, which study nonliving matter include?

astronomy, geology, physics, and chemistry

Some disciplines such as biophysics and biochemistry build on both?

life and physical sciences and are interdisciplinary.

Some refer to natural sciences as “hard science” because?

they rely on the use of quantitative data.

Social sciences that study society and human behavior are more likely to use?

qualitative assessments to drive investigations and findings.

the natural science of biology has many branches or ?

subdisciplines.

Cell biologists study?

cell structure and function

biologists who study anatomy investigate?

the structure of an entire organism.

biologists studying physiology, however, focus on?

the internal functioning of an organism.

botanists explore plants, while zoologists specialize in?

animals.

One thing is common to all forms of science: an ultimate?

goal “to know.”

Curiosity and inquiry are the driving forces for?

the development of science.

Scientists seek to understand the world and?

the way it operates.

two methods of logical thinking are?

inductive reasoning and deductive reasoning.

Inductive reasoning is?

A form of logical thinking that uses related observations to arrive at a general conclusion.

Inductive reasoning is common in?

descriptive science.

Inductive reasoning involves?

formulating generalizations inferred from careful observation and analyzing a large amount of data

Deductive reasoning or deduction is the type of logic used in?

hypothesis-based science. 

In deductive reasoning, the pattern of thinking moves in?

the opposite direction as compared to inductive reasoning

 Deductive reasoning is?

a form of logical thinking that uses a general principle or law to predict specific results.

Both types of logical thinking are related to the two main pathways of scientific study?

descriptive science and hypothesis-based science.

Descriptive (or discovery) science, which is usually inductive, aims to?

observe, explore, and discover

hypothesis-based science, which is usually deductive, begins with?

a specific question or problem and a potential answer or solution that one can test.

Descriptive science and hypothesis-based science are in?

continuous dialogue.

Biologists study the living world by?

posing questions about it and seeking science-based responses.

The scientific method was used even in ancient times, but England’s?

Sir Francis Bacon (1561–1626) first documented it. 

Sir Francis Bacon (1561–1626) set up?

inductive methods for scientific inquiry.

The scientific method is not used only by biologists but by?

researchers from almost all fields of study can apply it as a logical, rational problem-solving method.

The scientific process typically starts with an?

observation that leads to a question.

To solve a problem, one can?

propose several hypotheses.

A prediction is similar to a hypothesis but it typically has the format?

“If . . . then . . . .”

A valid hypothesis must be?

testable. 

A valid hypothesis should also be?

falsifiable, meaning that experimental results can disprove it.

science does not claim to “prove” anything because?

scientific understandings are always subject to modification with further information.

To test a hypothesis, a researcher will conduct one or more?

experiments designed to eliminate one or more of the hypotheses. 

Each experiment used to test a hypothesis will have?

one or more variables and one or more controls.

A variable is?

any part of the experiment that can vary or change during the experiment.

The control group contains?

every feature of the experimental group except it is not given the manipulation that the researcher hypothesizes.

if the experimental group's results differ from the control group, the difference must be due to?

the hypothesized manipulation, rather than some outside factor.

In hypothesis-based science, researchers predict?

specific results from a general premise.

Sometimes, scientists reach a general conclusion from a number of specific observations. We call this type of reasoning?

inductive reasoning, and it proceeds from the particular to the general.

Researchers often use inductive and deductive reasoning in tandem to?

advance scientific knowledge

Basic science or “pure” science seeks to?

expand knowledge regardless of the short-term application of that knowledge. 

Basic science is not focused on?

developing a product or a service of immediate public or commercial value. 

The immediate goal of basic science is?

knowledge for knowledge’s sake, although this does not mean that, in the end, it may not result in a practical application.

Applied science or “technology,” aims to use science to?

solve real-world problems, making it possible, for example, to improve a crop yield, find a cure for a particular disease, or save animals threatened by a natural disaster

 In applied science, the problem is usually defined for the?

Researcher.

 Without basic science, it is unlikely that?

applied science could exist.

example of the link between basic and applied research is?

the Human Genome Project

The human genome project is a study in which?

researchers analyzed and mapped each human chromosome to determine the precise sequence of DNA subunits and each gene's exact location.

While scientists usually carefully plan research efforts in both basic science and applied science, note that some discoveries are made by?

Serendipity.

Serendipity is by means of?

a fortunate accident or a lucky surprise.

Scottish biologist Alexander Fleming discovered penicillin when?

he accidentally left a petri dish of Staphylococcus bacteria open. An unwanted mold grew on the dish, killing the bacteria.

scientists must share their findings in order for?

other researchers to expand and build upon their discoveries.

most scientists present their results in?

peer-reviewed manuscripts that are published in scientific journals

 Peer-reviewed manuscripts are?

scientific papers that a scientist’s colleagues or peers review.

Grant proposals, which are requests for research funding, are also subject to?

peer review.

A scientific paper is very different from?

creative writing.

 When presenting scientific results. First, scientific writing must be?

brief, concise, and accurate.

A scientific paper needs to be?

succinct but detailed enough to allow peers to reproduce the experiments.

The scientific paper consists of several specific sections that include?

introduction, materials and methods, results, and discussion.

The structure for building a scientific paper is sometimes called?

the “IMRaD” format. 

There are usually acknowledgment and reference sections as well as an abstract (a concise summary) at the beginning of a?

scientific paper.

The introduction of a scientific paper starts with?

brief, but broad, background information about what is known in the field.

Using the work or ideas of others without proper citation is?

plagiarism.

The materials and methods section includes a?

complete and accurate description of the substances the researchers use, and the method and techniques they use to gather data.

Sections, the results section simply narrates the findings without?

any further interpretation.

In the discussion section, the researchers will?

interpret the results, describe how variables may be related, and attempt to explain the observations

The conclusion section summarizes the importance of?

the experimental findings. 

Review articles do not follow the IMRAD format because?

they do not present original scientific findings, or primary literature

Scientists must ensure that their efforts?

do not cause undue damage to humans, animals, or the environment.

the emergence of bioethics as a field came after a number of?

clearly unethical practices, where biologists did not treat research subjects with dignity and in some cases did them harm.

Bioethicists work to establish?

moral and dignifying approaches before such decisions come to pass.

Bioethics are not simple, and often leave scientists?

balancing benefits with harm.

Today, harvesting tissue or organs from a dying patient without consent is not only considered?

unethical but illegal, regardless of whether such an act could save other patients’ lives.

the role of ethics in scientific research is to?

ask such questions before, during, and after research or practice takes place, as well as to adhere to established professional principles and consider the dignity and safety of all organisms involved or affected by the work.

Biology is the science that?

studies life

Although viruses can attack living organisms, cause diseases, and even reproduce, they do not?

meet the criteria that biologists use to define life.

Virologists are not?

biologists, strictly speaking.

From its earliest beginnings, biology has wrestled with three questions?

What are the shared properties that make something “alive”? Once we know something is alive, how do we find meaningful levels of organization in its structure? Finally, when faced with the remarkable diversity of life, how do we organize the different kinds of organisms so that we can better understand them?

All living organisms share several key characteristics or functions which are?

order, sensitivity or response to the environment, reproduction, adaptation, growth and development, regulation/homeostasis, energy processing, and evolution. 

When viewed together the eight characteristics of living organisms serve to?

define life.

Organisms are?

highly organized, coordinated structures that consist of one or more cells.

Even very simple, single-celled organisms are remarkably complex because?

inside each cell, atoms form molecules.