Principles of Biology - Chapter 1

Flashcards covering key vocabulary from Chapter 1: Introduction to Biology and the Process of Science, based on lecture notes.

Biology

The science of life

Scientific method

A series of steps that allows for the enhancement of scientific knowledge

Inductive reasoning

Uses related observations to arrive at a general conclusion

Deductive reasoning

Uses a general principle or law to predict specific results

Basic Science

Goal is to expand knowledge without any expectation of short-term practical application of that knowledge

Applied Science

Goal is to solve practical problems

Pseudoscience

Claims or beliefs portrayed as science but lack objective repeatable data

Empiricism

We can learn about the world by careful observation of empirical phenomena

Uniformitarianism

Basic patterns and processes are uniform across time and space

Parsimony

When two plausible explanations are reasonable, the simpler one is preferable

Uncertainty

Knowledge changes as new evidence appears, and explanations change with new evidence

Repeatability

Tests and experiments should be repeatable

Hypothesis

A testable statement used to test theories

Natural experiment

Involves observation of events that have already happened

Manipulative experiments

Have conditions deliberately altered, and all other variables are held constant

Blind experiments

Researcher doesn’t know which group is treated until after the data have been analyzed

Double-blind experiments

Neither the subject nor the researcher knows who is in the treatment group and who is in the control group

Prokaryotes

Single-celled organisms that lack nuclei and other membrane-bound organelles

Eukaryotes

Single-celled or multicellular organisms that contain nuclei and membrane-bound organelles

Biosphere

Inhabited part of Earth, atmosphere, oceans

Evolution

The process of genetic change in a population

Ecosystem

All the organisms living in an area and their physical environments

Population

All the individuals of a species living in a specific area

Organelle

A membrane-bound structure of a cell

Organ System

Several organs that cooperate in a specific function

Tissues

A group of similar cells that perform a specific function

Cell

Fundamental unit of life

Organism

An individual living thing

Molecule

A cluster of small chemical units called atoms held together by chemical bonds

Science

The study of the natural world

Adaptation

Living organisms 'fit' their environment

Homeostasis

Ability to regulate and maintain internal conditions