Connecting Science to Vet Tech Practice

Intro to Bio for Vet Techs - Unit 2

Atom

The smallest unit of an element; the basic building block of matter.

Biological Hierarchy

A system organizing living things from smallest to largest: atom to biosphere.

Biology

The study of life and living organisms; fundamentals of veterinary medicine.

Biosphere

All living things and ecosystems on Earth.

Cell

The smallest unit of life capable of carrying out all life processes.

Control Group

A group that does not receive the experimental treatment.

Controlled Variables

Factors kept constant in an experiment.

Deductive Reasoning

Predicting specific outcomes from general principles.

Dependent Variable

The outcome measured in response to changes.

Ecosystem

All living and nonliving factors in an area and their interactions.

Emergent Properties

New properties that arise at each biological level due to increased complexity.

Experimental Group

A group subjected to the treatment being tested.

Hypothesis

A testable explanation for a phenomenon.

Independent Variable

The variable changed to test its effects.

Inductive Reasoning

Drawing broader conclusions from specific observations.

Inference

A conclusion drawn from observations based on understanding.

Molecule

Two or more atoms bonded together.

Observation

A factual statement describing something you can measure.

Organ

Several tissues working together for specific functions.

Organism

A complete living being made up of organ systems.

Peer Review

The process of evaluation by other scientists before publication.

Population

A group of interbreeding organisms of the same species.

Primary Literature

Original scientific research articles.

Qualitative Data

Descriptive data using non-numerical observations.

Quantitative Data

Measured data expressed as numbers.

Scientific Method

A structured approach for problem-solving in science.

Secondary Literature

Summaries and interpretations of primary research.

Systems Biology

The study of interactions in biological systems.

Tertiary Literature

General information sources like textbooks and videos.

Tissue

Groups of similar cells working together.

Variable

A factor that can change in an experiment.