Intro to Human Biology Vocabulary

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts, taxonomy, levels of organization, and the scientific method from the Intro to Human Biology lecture.

Bacteria

A domain of life characterized by unicellular organisms that lack a membrane-bound nucleus.

Archaea

A domain of life characterized by unicellular organisms that lack a membrane-bound nucleus.

Eukarya

A domain of life characterized by organisms that have a nucleus and may be unicellular or multicellular.

Four Kingdoms of Eukarya

Protists, Animalia, Fungi, and Plantae.

Human Taxonomic Classification

Domain Eukarya → Kingdom Animalia → Phylum Chordata → Class Mammalia → Order Primates → Family Hominidae → Genus Homo → Species sapiens.

Bipedalism

Standing upright and walking on two legs.

Opposable thumbs

Digits that allow grasping with a pincer motion.

Levels of Biological Organization

Atom → Molecule → Cell → Tissue → Organ → Organ system → Organism → Population → Community → Ecosystem → Biosphere.

Science

Both a body of knowledge about the natural world and a process used to acquire that knowledge.

Scientific Method

The process used to acquire scientific knowledge.

Hypothesis

A tentative statement about the natural world that leads to testable deductions.

Independent variable

The variable intentionally manipulated by the researcher in an experiment.

Dependent variable

The observed response following manipulation of the independent variable.

Biostatistics

The application of statistical analysis to biological and medical research data.

Scientific theory

A broad, repeatedly tested, consistent, and highly reliable framework that may develop from hypotheses after extensive testing.

Correlation

A pattern between two variables.

Causation

The result of what one variable causes in another variable.