1-3 bio L - mem & learning, foundation bio, bio molecules

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering memory and learning mechanisms, foundations of scientific inquiry, chemical bonding, emergent properties of water, and biological macromolecules.

Neuronal Plasticity

The capacity of the nervous system to be modified after birth in an activity-dependent, dynamic manner, primarily occurring at synapses.

Synapse

A specialized communication junction between neurons where anatomical and physiological changes underlying memory occur.

Short-Term Memory (STM)

Memory storage with a limited capacity of approximately $7$ items and a short duration of seconds to minutes, where information is discarded if not used or deemed irrelevant.

Long-Term Memory (LTM)

A memory store activated when information must be retained, possessing unlimited capacity and duration; information cannot be used directly and must be retrieved into short-term memory.

Learning

The process of using knowledge and past experiences to decrease the likelihood of negative outcomes, which is distinct from memory.

Long-Term Potentiation (LTP)

An activity-dependent, lasting increase in the strength of synaptic transmission that facilitates memory encoding and retrieval.

Chunking

A learning strategy of organizing information into meaningful sets or clusters rather than individual pieces, making recall easier.

Information Processing and Long-Term Potentiation Flow

The memory pathway where an incoming stimulus moves through sensory reception, encodes into short-term memory (STM), and undergoes bidirectional encoding and retrieval with long-term memory (LTM) to facilitate long-term potentiation.

Evolution

The overarching unifying theme of biology stating that all living organisms are modified descendants of common ancestors.

Emergent Properties

Novel properties that arise from the specific arrangement and interactions of components within a system that are absent from the individual parts.

Hypothesis

A testable proposed explanation for an observed natural phenomenon based on available data; an educated guess.

Prediction

The expected outcome when testing a hypothesis, commonly structured as an "if… then…" statement.

Theory

A broad explanatory framework supported by substantial evidence that generates new hypotheses and accurate predictions.

Law

A statement describing an observable pattern or phenomenon that always occurs under specific circumstances.

Potential Energy

Energy possessed by matter due to its spatial location or chemical structure, representing the capacity to do work or cause change.

Valence Electrons

Electrons occupying the outermost electron shell of an atom, whose arrangement and capacity dictate bonding properties and chemical behavior.

Electronegativity

A measure of an atom's affinity for electrons, determining how strongly it pulls shared electrons toward itself in a chemical bond.

Covalent Bond

The sharing of a pair of valence electrons between two atoms to achieve full valence shells; the strongest chemical bond under biological conditions.

Nonpolar Covalent Bond

A covalent bond formed between atoms with equal or very similar electronegativities, resulting in equal sharing of electrons.

Polar Covalent Bond

A covalent bond in which atoms differ in electronegativity, leading to unequal electron sharing and generating partial positive ($\delta^+$) and partial negative ($\delta^-$) charges.

Ionic Bond

An electrostatic attraction between oppositely charged ions formed when an atom with high electronegativity completely strips an electron from another atom.

Hydrogen Bond

A weak interaction between a partial positive charge on a hydrogen atom covalently bonded to an electronegative atom (typically oxygen or nitrogen) and another electronegative atom.

Van der Waals Interactions

Relatively weak, transient attractions between molecules caused by momentary fluctuations in electron position and motion, which become strong in large numbers.

Cohesion

The intermolecular attraction that holds water molecules together via hydrogen bonding.

Adhesion

The attraction between water molecules and other polar or charged substances.

High Specific Heat of Water

An emergent property of water driven by hydrogen bonding that allows it to absorb or release substantial heat with minimal temperature change, moderating temperatures.

Hydrophilic

A characteristic of polar or charged substances that have an affinity for water and can dissolve in it.

Hydrophobic

A characteristic of nonpolar, uncharged substances that do not have an affinity for water and will not dissolve in it.

Hydrocarbon

An organic compound consisting solely of carbon and hydrogen atoms, characterized as nonpolar, uncharged, and hydrophobic.

Hydroxyl Group

A functional group consisting of a hydrogen atom bonded to an oxygen atom ($-\text{OH}$); polar, hydrophilic, and found in alcohols.

Carbonyl Group

A functional group consisting of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom ($\text{C}=\text{O}$); polar, hydrophilic, and characteristic of sugars.

Carboxyl Group

A functional group consisting of a carbon atom double-bonded to an oxygen atom and single-bonded to a hydroxyl group ($-\text{COOH}$); acidic due to its ability to donate a proton ($\text{H}^+$).

Amino Group

A functional group consisting of a nitrogen atom bonded to two hydrogen atoms ($-\text{NH}_2$); acts as a base by accepting a proton ($\text{H}^+$) and is an essential component of amino acids.

Phosphate Group

A functional group consisting of a phosphorus atom bonded to four oxygen atoms (including one double bond and two hydroxyl groups); acidic, ionizable, and found in phospholipids, nucleic acids, and ATP.

Methyl Group

A nonpolar, hydrophobic functional group consisting of a carbon atom bonded to three hydrogen atoms ($-\text{CH}_3$), involved in DNA methylation and gene expression regulation.

Dehydration Synthesis

A chemical reaction that synthesizes polymers from monomers by covalently joining them with the concomitant loss of a water molecule.

Hydrolysis

A chemical reaction that breaks covalent bonds linking monomers within a polymer by the addition of a water molecule.

Monosaccharide

The simplest carbohydrate monomer, typically containing $3$ to $6$ carbon atoms (such as glucose), that acts as a major cellular fuel source.

Polysaccharide

A carbohydrate polymer formed of hundreds to thousands of monosaccharides joined by glycosidic linkages, functioning in energy storage or structural support.

Phospholipid

An amphipathic lipid consisting of a glycerol molecule attached to two fatty acid tails and a phosphate head group, forming the fundamental bilayer of biological membranes.

Amphipathic

A term describing a molecule containing both distinct hydrophobic (water-fearing) and hydrophilic (water-loving) regions.

Peptide Bond

The covalent bond formed between the carboxyl group of one amino acid and the amino group of an adjacent amino acid during dehydration synthesis.

Abiogenesis Requirements

The conditions required for the abiotic synthesis of organic monomers: low free $\text{O}_2$, an energy source, chemical building blocks, liquid water, and extensive time.