Nature of Biology and Characeristics of Life

Observation

The process of noticing and describing events or processes in a careful, orderly way using the senses or scientific tools to gather information.

Inference

A logical interpretation or conclusion based on prior knowledge, evidence, and observations.

Hypothesis

A testable scientific explanation for an observation or question that can be supported or refuted through experimentation.

Controlled Experiment

A scientific test in which only one variable is changed at a time while all other variables are kept constant to accurately test a hypothesis.

Independent Variable (IV)

The variable that a researcher changes or controls in an experiment to test its effects on another variable.

Dependent Variable (DV)

The exact outcome, effect, or measurement that a researcher tracks in an experiment to see how it responds to changes made to another factor.

Control Group

A baseline standard in an experiment that does not receive the test treatment, allowing researchers to compare results and isolate the effect of the independent variable.

Quantitive Data

Any information that can be counted, measured, and expressed with numbers.

Qualitive Data

Non-numerical, descriptive information that captures qualities, opinions, feelings, and the "why" or "how" behind human behavior.

Theory

A well-tested, broadly accepted explanation for a natural phenomenon that is backed by a lot of repeatable evidence.

Accuracy

How close a measured or experimental value is to the true, accepted value

Law

An observed pattern or rule of thumb that describes how living organisms behave and interact with their environments.

Precision

The degree of agreement and consistency among repeated measurements of the same biological sample or factor.

Bias

Systematic skews or preferences either in how something evolves and perceives the world, or how research is conducted and interpreted within the biological sciences

Systematic Error

A consistent, repeatable flaw in measurement or experimental design that shifts all results in the same direction, reducing overall accuracy

Biology

The scientific study of life and living organisms

Randomized Error

An unpredictable, chance-based fluctuation in measurement data that causes results to vary randomly above and below the true value

Sexual Reproduction

Produces offspring with novel, mixed combinations of DNA from both parents rather than exact clones.

Asexual Reproduction

A biological process where a single organism creates offspring using cell division like mitosis, without the fusion of sex cells or gametes

DNA

The molecule that carries the genetic instructions used in the growth, development, functioning, and reproduction of all living organisms.

Metabolism

The total sum of all life-sustaining chemical reactions that happen inside the cells of living organisms

Stimulus

Any detectable change in an organism's external or internal environment that causes a functional reaction or response

Homeostasis

The self-regulating process by which a biological system maintains a stable internal environment while adjusting to changing external conditions

Evolve

The change in the heritable traits of a biological Evolution population over successive generations

Biotic

Relating to or resulting from living organisms

Abiotic

Tthe non-living physical and chemical elements of an ecosystem that shape the environment and affect living organisms.