BIO-181 Exam 1

Biology is…

the study of life, pertaining to Earth

Life is…

the cycle of a species, from alive to not alive. Separates living things from nonliving ones.

What are the 7 characteristics of life?

1. Growth, Development, Reproduction

2. Energy utilization (How energy is used)

3. Cells

4. Homeostasis (Optimum range of survival)

5. Ordered Complexity

6. Evolutionary Adaptation (Life forms evolve over time)

7. Sensitivity (Sensing the environment and responding)

What is an example of a non-living species that can carry living characteristics?

A virus (ex. Covid)

What are the levels of life organization?

• Atoms

• Molecules

• Macromolecules

• Organelles

• Cells: the smallest, basic unit of life

• Tissues (muscular, nervous)

• Organs (heart, organ systems)

• Organisms

• Populations

• Communities

• Ecosystems

Emergent properties are…

how things emerge from one level to another (*more than sum of its parts, NOT additive. it is a result of interactions)

What in itself is an emergent property?

Life

Inductive Reasoning…

uses related observations to arrive at a general conclusion (bottom-up)

An example of inductive reasoning is…

Because the neighbor’s cat hissed at me, all cats do not like me.

Deductive reasoning…

uses a general principle or law to forecast specific results (top-down)

An example of deductive reasoning is…

Because all cats are mammals, and Daisy is a cat, Daisy must be a mammal.

Science does NOT involve…

the supernatural

The four steps of the scientific method are…

1. Observation

2. Question

3. Hypothesis

4. Prediction

5. Experiment / Study

6. Results

Observation is important because…

You have to sense/feel something first to even study it

A hypothesis is…

A general idea to explain a phenomenon

Hypotheses must…

Be tested to determine validity (in many different ways… repeatedly)

Experiments…

• Test one thing at a time

• Test the hypothesis

• Have three variables

Experiments consist of…

The Test experiment and the Control experiment

What are the three variables of an experiment?

1. Independent Variable

2. Dependent Variable

3. Control Variables

What are the types of data?

Qualitative and Quantitative

Qualitative data is…

Descriptive data that CANNOT be measured, such as colors, smells, beauty, etc.

Quantitative data is…

Numeric data that CAN be measured, such as length, height, time, etc.

Rather than saying “I believe” and “It is proven,” we should say…

“The data supports”

A theory is…

the broad and strongest explanation for a phenomenon, supported by a large body of research with minimal bias

A theory is NOT referring to…

a social theory