Science and Biology Lecture Overview

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering biology, Earth science, physics, and famous scientists based on the lecture notes.

Amino Acids

These are linked together to form protein.

X chromosome

A chromosome that will pass from a father to his daughter.

Radiation

The form of heat transfer that comes from the sun to the Earth.

Acid Rain

A condition that can be caused by the burning of coal.

Food

Represented as chemical energy for organisms.

Nitrogen

The element that primarily makes up the Earth's atmosphere.

Venus

The planet considered most like Earth.

Meteoroid

An object appearing as a light flashing in the sky.

Human Appearance Timing

Humans first appeared at $11:58$ (specifically cited as $>\text{1 second}$).

Spring Equinox

An event characterized by a $12\text{-hour day}$ and a $12\text{-hour night}$.

Jupiter

The planet with the shortest days.

Fossil Creation

Formed from animal bones along with water, mud, or silt.

Transpiration

The process where a plant loses water through its leaves via the stoma.

Triple Beam Scale

An instrument used to measure mass.

Plasma Membrane

The structure that protects the cell from its environment.

Comet

An object mostly made of ice, or a combination of ice, dust, and gas.

Chlorophyll

A substance that absorbs energy for photosynthesis.

Cylinder

An instrument used to measure volume.

Kinetic Energy

Energy that is at its maximum at the bottom of a drop.

Lunar Eclipse Order

The alignment of the sun, earth, and moon.

Windmill

A source of mechanical energy.

Endocrine System

The body system responsible for hormone production, including the adrenal, pituitary, and thyroid glands.

Inner Core

The densest layer of the Earth, which is solid.

Homeostasis

The equilibrium maintained by healthy living organisms.

Solar Eclipse

Occurs when the moon casts a shadow over the Earth.

Troposphere

The lowest layer of the atmosphere where weather occurs and which contains $1/2$ of the atmosphere.

Chemical Weathering

The break up of rocks caused by air or water reactions.

Geosphere

Refers to the minerals and rocks found on Earth.

Lithosphere

The most outer layer of the Earth.

Virus

The biological agent responsible for the common cold.

Liver

The animal body part responsible for removing nitrogen and filtering blood from the digestive tract.

Litmus Paper

An instrument used to measure PH.

Atomic Number

The number of protons found in the nucleus of an atom.

Atom

Consists of protons, neutrons, and electrons; the center contains protons and neutrons.

Excretory System

The body system responsible for waste removal.

Solid

A state of matter where particles are tightly packed in regular patterns.

Pitch

An auditory property most closely related to frequency.

Water Vapor

The substance released as bubbles when water boils.

Meiosis

A type of sexual reproduction involving two parents, resulting in non-identical offspring with a new combination of genes.

Pancreas

A component of the digestive system that manufactures insulin.

Thyroid

A gland that produces hormones to control the body's metabolic rate, heart, digestive function, muscle control, and brain development.

Kidney

Part of the urinary tract that filters blood, removes waste and excess water, and makes urine.

Newton's 3rd Law

A law stating that every action has an equal and opposite reaction.

Newton's 2nd Law

A law defined by the formula $Force = mass \times acceleration$.

Mid Ocean Ridge

The locations where the most recently formed parts of the Earth's crust are found.

Solar Winds

Charged particles that escape from a gravitational pull.

Work

The force used to move mass over a distance.

Erosion

The process responsible for the motions of glaciers.

Boiling Water

An example of a physical change.

Chloroplasts

Organelles in plants that contain chlorophyll used for photosynthesis.

Hydrogen and Helium

The most abundant elements in the sun.

Tropical Rainforest

The biome characterized by the greatest diversity of species.

Convection

A method of heat transfer.

ATP

The energy molecule associated with cellular respiration.

Electron

A particle that, when lost from a neutral atom, results in a positive ion; it plays a major role in chemical bonding.

Galaxy

A large cluster of stars, dust, and gas.

Digestive System

The system that absorbs nutrients throughout the body.

Precipitation

Water moving from the atmosphere to the Earth's surface, such as falling from clouds.

Density

The ratio of the amount of matter to its volume.

Mass

A measure of how much matter is in something; it does not change when an object accelerates or undergoes a chemical reaction.

Volume

The quantity of $3D$ space occupied by a liquid, solid, or gas.

Gallbladder

The organ that stores bile.

Mitochondria

The organelle that produces energy for the cell.

Velocity

Speed in a specific direction.

Mitosis

A type of asexual cell division producing two genetically identical offspring.

Oxygen

An example of a molecule.

Communicable Diseases

Examples include tuberculosis and influenza.

Ribosomes

The cellular structures that make protein.

Lipids

Oily, waxy fats found in living things.

Invertebrate

An animal without a backbone, such as a worm.

Population Density

The number of individuals located in a specific unit area.

Animals

The largest classification kingdom.

Carrying Capacity

The largest number of individuals of a population that an environment can support.

Succession

The process most likely to occur after a forest fire.

Vacuoles

Membrane-bound organelles that assist with protection, storage, waste disposal, and growth.

Louis Pasteur

A microbiologist known for principles of vaccinations, pasteurization, and the Germ Theory.

Sublimation

The phase change where a solid becomes a gas.

Uranus

The planet with an abnormal tilt to its rotation.

Circulatory System

The system that transports food, water, and waste, and carries hormones.

Absolute Magnitude

A measurement of the light emitted by a star.

Arthropods

Organisms characterized by joined legs and cellulose skin.

Atmospheric Layers (Order)

From closest to Earth to furthest: Troposphere, Stratosphere, Mesosphere, Thermosphere, and Exosphere.

DNA Replication

A process the DNA must undergo before dividing cells begin mitosis.

Light Year

A unit of distance equal to $6\text{ trillion miles}$.

Boyle's Law

A law stating that at a constant temperature, the product of pressure and volume is constant ($\text{Volume} \text{ down} \rightarrow \text{Pressure} \text{ up}$).

Geological Time Zone

A timeline of chronological dating relating geological strata to time.

Big Bang Theory

The most common theory describing how the universe formed from an early stage to the present.

Punnett Square

A tool used to predict the genotypes of a particular cross or breed experiment.

Marie Curie

Scientist who conducted pioneering research on radioactive elements and discovered radiation.

Isaac Newton

Scientist known for the laws of gravitation and motion.

Nicolaus Copernicus

The first astronomer to propose the idea of a heliocentric solar system.

Charles Darwin

The scientist who developed the theory of Natural Selection.

Thomas Edison

The scientist best known for research with electricity, sound recording, and mass communication.

Gregor Mendel

The scientist who discovered the fundamental laws of inheritance and tracked dominant and recessive traits.