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The observation, identification, description, experimental investigation and theoretical explanation of natural phenomena

Science

The ability to understand and engage with scientific concepts at a foundational level

Scientific literacy

A body of methods, rules, and ideas that are important in a science, art, or discipline

Methodology

The aspect of being built upon asking and investigating questions -- collecting/analyzing data etc.

Inquiry based

The act or practice of thinking critically (as by applying reason and questioning assumptions) in order to solve problems, evaluate information, discern biases, etc.

Critical thinking

A piece of information that is correct based on all current information 

Fact

A principle, belief, or statement of idea or opinion especially one authoritatively considered to be the truth

Dogma

Describe why scientific literacy is important?

Because it allows people to know what the hell is going on

Identify the characteristics of science.

Methodological activity, inquisitive, critical thinking, empirical evidence, logical reasoning, patterns 

What does it mean to say that science is fact based?

That it’s built upon information that is objectively true based on current evidence and can be verified

Is science the truth? Why or why not?

It is as must the truth as we can claim based on the current data - if the science is done well it can be reliable but it needs to be peer reviewed and thoroughly tested/investigated

Why isn’t the term “truth” used in the scientific context?

Because truth is perception based and science is fact based

Why is dogma problematic for scientific thinking?

Doesn’t leave room for inquiry and closes the door on skepticism

What is the value of disagreement in the scientific community? How does this help the scientific process?

More people tackling more things at different angles keeping each other in check

Describe how someone may evaluate the reliability of scientific information.

Checking if sources are primary or secondary sources, if information comes from a peer-reviewed journal, and if the evidence is anecdotal

Why is skepticism important?

People make shit up all the time

An empirical method for acquiring knowledge through careful observation, rigorous skepticism, hypothesis testing, and experimental validation

Scientific method

A tentative explanation that a scientist proposes for a specific phenomenon that has been observed

Hypothesis

A widely accepted explanatory idea that is broader in scope than a hypothesis, generates new hypotheses, and is supported by a large body of evidence

Theory

A factor whose value is manipulated or changed during an experiment to reveal possible effects on another factor

Independent variable

A factor whose value is measured in an experiment to see whether it is influenced by changes in another factor

Dependent variable

A factor in experiments that is constant and stays the same

Standardized variable

Variables other than the independent variable that’s being studied which influences the dependent variable, distorting the experiment’s results

Confounding factors

A set of subjects that lacks (or does not receive) the specific factor being tested

Control group

A harmless but ineffective procedure or treatment that is given purely for psychological reasons or to act as a control in a blind experiment

Placebo

Why is the scientific method important?

It enables the testing of hypotheses and distinguishing of correlation and causation in what we observe

What are the steps of the scientific method?

Observation, question, hypothesis, prediction, experiment, conclusion

How do experimental variables relate to a hypothesis?

They directly build the predictive core of a hypothesis, defining  both what will be manipulated and what will be measured during the test

What are some examples of scientific theories?

Big bang theory, tectonic plate theory, atomic theory, theory of matter and energy, cell theory, theory of evolution

The microcosm or macrocosm of examination

Scale

The direct relationship between the structure of a thing and the way it functions

Form and function

The branch of biology concerned with naming and classifying the diverse forms of life

Taxonomy

A taxonomic category above (broader than) kingdom level; includes Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya

Domain

The broad taxonomic category above (broader than) phylum; divides all organisms based on cell type, structure, and food acquisition

Kingdom

The taxonomic category above (broader than) class

Phylum

The taxonomic category above (broader than) order

Class

The taxonomic category above (broader than) family

Order

The taxonomic category above (broader than) genus

Family

The taxonomic category above (broader than) species; the first part of a species’ binomial; for example, Homo

Genus

A group of populations the members of which have the potential to interbreed and produce viable, fertile offspring

Species

The fundamental genetic, biochemical, and structural similarities shared by all living organisms on Earth, which point to a common ancestor

Unity of life

Branching diagrams that represent a hypothesis about evolutionary relationships between organisms

Phylogenetic trees

Descent with modifications; the idea that living species are descendants of ancestral species that were different from present-day ones; also defined more narrowly as the change in the genetic composition of a population from generation to generation; the central unifying theme of biology

Evolution

A process in which individuals with certain inherited traits are more likely to survive and reproduce than individuals that do not have those traits

Natural selection

The situation in which some individuals leave more offspring than other, often due to traits that confer advantages in survival and/or reproduction

Differential reproductive success

The differences in physical traits, behavior, or genetic makeup found between individuals of the same species

Variation

Identify the patterns in science

Scale (interconnections within systems), Form/function, Taxonomy - identification, organization, and understanding , Unity of life, Evolution

Why are patterns of form and function important to understanding biology?

Gives merit to the questioning of why something is the way it is

What is the relationship between relatedness and shared characteristics?

Common ancestry leads to shared inherited traits (genes and stuff)

What are the taxonomic groupings used to categorize living organisms?

Domain, kingdom, phylum, class, order, family, genus species

Identify the domains of life

Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya

Describe examples of a living organism in the domain eukarya.

Any plant, animal, or fungi

What does unity of life tell us about living organisms?

They all share a common ancestor(s)

Why is variation important to the evolution of living organisms?

Allows for evolution and the overcoming of natural selection

A nonliving component of an ecosystem, such as air, water, light, minerals, or temperature

Abiotic

A living component of a biological community

Biotic

Anything that occupies space and has mass

Matter

Substances that cannot be broken down into other substances by chemical means

Elements

The smallest units of matter that retain the properties of an element

Atoms

Small, dense central region of an atom consisting of protons and neutrons

Atomic nucleus

A molecule that protects cells by safely neutralizing unstable, damaging particles known as free radicals

Antioxidant

Attractions between two atoms resulting from a sharing of outer-shell electrons or the presence of opposite charges on the atoms

Chemical bonds

Attractions between atoms that share one or more pairs of electrons

Covalent bonds

Attractions between two ions with opposite electrical charges. The electrical attraction of the opposite charges holds the ions together

Ionic bonds

A positively charged ion that forms when an atom or molecule loses one or more electrons

Cation

An atom or molecule that has a negative electrical charge because it has more electrons than protons

Anion

Atom's tendency to attract shared electrons toward itself when forming a chemical bond

Electronegativity

A molecule or structure with an uneven distribution of electrical charge, creating a positive end and a negative end

Polar

A molecule or a chemical bond has an even distribution of electrical charge because atoms share electrons equally

Non-polar

A process leading to chemical changes in matter, involving the making and/or breaking of chemical bonds; involving rearranging atoms, but no atoms are created or destroyed

Chemical reaction

Ending materials of a chemical reaction

Products

Starting materials in a chemical reaction

Reactants

A liquid consisting of a homogeneous mixture of two or more substances: a dissolving agent and a substance that is dissolved

Solution

A substance that is dissolved in a liquid to find a solution

Solute

The dissolving agent in a solution. Water is the most versatile known form of this

Solvent

Unit measuring the relative acidity of a solution ranging from 0 (most acidic) to 14 (least basic)

pH

A chemical substance that decreases the hydrogen ion (H+) concentration in a solution

Buffer

Any form of precipitation—including rain, snow, or fog—that has an unusually low pH level (typically below 5.6) due to high concentrations of sulfuric and nitric acids

Acid rain

Describe the law of conservation of Energy- 2^nd law of thermodynamics

Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, just converted

How is the 2nd law of thermodynamics significant to biological systems?

Living things must constantly consume energy from their environment to maintain their internal order and avoid decay

Identify the primary chemical elements significant to biological systems

Carbon

Identify the subatomic structure of an atom

Central nucleus made of protons and neutrons, surrounded by a cloud of fast-moving electrons

What is a mass number?

The total number of protons and neutrons in a molecule’s nucleus

Describe the difference between an acidic and a basic solution

An acidic solution has a high concentration of hydrogen ions and a pH below 7, whereas a basic solution has a low concentration of hydrogen ions (or a high concentration of hydroxide ions) and a pH above 7

What is the biological significance of acid rain?

Significantly disrupts ecosystems by lowering pH levels, releasing toxic aluminum, and stripping essential nutrients from soils and aquatic habitats

A type of chemical link where two atoms share electrons unequally because one atom pulls harder on the electrons than the other

Polar covalent bond

The presence of or having distinct and opposite poles (one side negative one side positive)

Polarity

A type of weak chemical bond formed when a partially positive hydrogen atom from one polar molecule is attracted to the partially polar negative atom in another molecule (or in another part of the same molecule)

Hydrogen bond

The attraction between molecules of the same kind

Cohesion

The elastic-like force at the surface of a liquid—primarily water—caused by the attraction of molecules to one another

Surface tension

Molecules that disrupt cohesion amongst water molecules

Surfactants

The attraction between different kinds of molecules

Adhesion

The spontaneous movement of a liquid through narrow spaces or porous materials, often going against gravity, driven by the combined forces of adhesion, cohesion, and surface tension

Capillary action

The amount of kinetic energy contained in the movement of the atoms and molecules in a body of matter; energy in its most random form

Heat

Measures the intensity of heat

Temperature

The ability of a substance, especially water, to absorb a lot of heat before its temperature rises much

High specific heat

The high level of energy water needs to change from liquid to gas

High heat of vaporization

A property of water whereby a body becomes cooler as water evaporates from it

Evaporative cooling

The mass of a substance per unit of volume

Density

The biological and chemical movement of nutrients through soil, plants, microorganisms, organic matter, and water

Nutrient cycling