Chapter 1: Life - Chemical, Cellular, and Evolutionary Foundations

Vocabulary flashcards covering key definitions, scientific methods, thermodynamic principles, cellular basics, central dogma, and evolutionary concepts from Chapter 1.

Biology

The science of how life works, studied from molecular mechanisms within cells to complex interactions among organisms in ecosystems.

Hypothesis

A tentative explanation for an observation or question that makes testable predictions about future observations or experiments.

Theory

A general explanation of natural phenomena supported by hypotheses that have withstand testing across a large body of experiments and observations.

Scientific Inquiry

The non-linear process of acquiring knowledge about the natural world, encompassing exploration, investigation (hypothesis testing), and communication.

Iridium

A chemical element rare in Earth's crust but common in meteorites, found heavily enriched in rock layers at the Cretaceous-Paleogene boundary.

First Law of Thermodynamics

The physical law stating that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed from one form into another such as heat and work.

Second Law of Thermodynamics

The physical law stating that total entropy (disorder) in the universe increases with every chemical or energy transformation.

Francesco Redi Experiment

A classical controlled experiment using open, gauze-covered, and sealed jars of meat to demonstrate that maggots do not spontaneously generate from nonliving matter.

Louis Pasteur Experiment

An experiment using straight-neck and swan-neck flasks containing boiled broth that disproved the spontaneous generation of microscopic life.

Cell Membrane

A selective lipid membrane surrounding all cells that regulates the internal cell environment to maintain homeostasis.

Central Dogma

The foundational principle describing the unidirectional flow of genetic information from DNA to RNA via transcription, and from RNA to protein via translation.

Metabolism

The set of chemical reactions that convert energy from one form into another, or build and break down molecules within an organism.

Natural Selection

A primary mechanism of evolution occurring when heritable variations allow certain individuals to survive and reproduce more efficiently than others.

Mutation

A permanent change in genetic sequence that serves as the ultimate source of genetic variation in populations.

Phylogenetic Tree

A diagrammatic representation showing evolutionary relationships and divergence of species from common ancestors over time.

Three Domains of Life

The three major evolutionary groups into which all living organisms are classified: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

Prokaryotes

Single-celled organisms in the domains Bacteria and Archaea that lack a membrane-bound nucleus.

Lenski's Evolution Experiment

A long-term laboratory experiment demonstrating that bacterial populations cultured over thousands of generations evolved an improved ability to metabolize glucose relative to ancestral strains.

Ecology

The study of how organisms interact with each other and with their surrounding physical environment.