Chapter 1: The Science of Biology

Metabolism

The combination of chemical reactions through which an organism builds up or breaks down materials

Homeostasis

The relatively constant internal physical and chemical conditions that organisms maintain

DNA

The genetic material that organisms inherit from their parents

natural events

The goals of science are to give explanations for ________, understand patterns, and make predictions.

Plants

________ and animals are multicellular.

Stimulus

A signal to which an organism responds

Cells

The smallest units considered fully alive

Discoveries

________ lead to new technology and new technology leads to ________.

forms of life

All ________ on Earth are connected into a biosphere.

Unicellular organisms

Are made up of only a single cell

Biology

The study of life

Theory

A well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations and hypotheses, and enables scientists to make accurate predictions about new situations

stable internal environment

Living things maintain a(n) ________.

universal genetic code

Living things are based on a(n) ________.

Plants

________ get energy from sunlight and take up nutrients from air, water, and soil.

Data

Evidence; information gathered from observations

Science

________ is a process, not a "thing.

plants

Most animals eat ________ or other animals to get both nutrients and energy.

Science

An organized way of gathering and analyzing evidence about the natural world

Observation

A process of noticing and describing events or processes in a careful, orderly way

Hypothesis

A possible explanation for a set of observations or a possible answer to a scientific question

Controlled experiment

An experiment in which only one variable is changed

Control group

The group in an experiment that is exposed to the same conditions as the experimental group except for one independent variable

ex

people want cars that do not cause air pollution

Bias

A particular preference or point of view that is personal, rather than scientific

Biosphere

The part of Earth in which life exists, including land, water, and air or atmosphere

Sexual reproduction

Most plants and animals engage in _______, in which cells from two parents come together to form the first cell of a new living thing.

Asexual reproduction

Other living things reproduce through _______, in which a single living thing makes offspring exactly the same as itself.

Global ecology

Explores how the world is affected by everything that living things do

Biotechnology

A field based on the ability to read, write, and edit the genetic code

Metric system

A system of measurement in which units are based on multiples of 10

Inferences

Ideas based on what is already known

Independent variable

The variable that changes

Dependent variable

The variable that is observed and that changes because of modifications to the independent variable

Quantitative data

Numbers found by counting or measuring

Qualitative data

Describe things that cannot be counted