Biology 2E Chapter 1: The Study of Life

Flashcards covering vocabulary and core concepts from Chapter 1: The Study of Life, including the process of science, levels of organization, and the properties of life.

Biology

the study of living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environments.

Science

knowledge that covers general truths or the operation of general laws, especially when acquired and tested by the scientific method.

The Scientific Method

a method of research with defined steps that include experiments and careful observation.

The Feynman Technique

A learning method involving identifying a concept and writing out an explanation of it as if explaining to an $8$-year-old without using new terms or recited definitions.

Observation

Perceptions of actual properties of the external world.

Hypothesis

Possible explanations of observations or possible answers to questions.

Theory

A collection of related hypotheses that, together, explain a broad range of observations; in a scientific context, it is considered the same as a law or explanation.

Assumption

A statement that is accepted as truth without evidence in order to make a hypothesis.

Prediction

A statement of expected observations given that a hypothesis is true, always stated in an "if-then" format.

Inductive reasoning

A form of logical thinking that uses multiple related observations to arrive at a general conclusion; requires distinguishing between correlation and causation.

Deductive reasoning

A form of logical thinking that uses a general principle or law to forecast specific results; results in a prediction.

Pseudoscience

A field that uses the scientific method but whose results do not allow for reliable predictions and often provides vague explanations that prohibit accurate testing.

Basic science

Also known as "pure" science; seeks to expand knowledge regardless of the short-term application of that knowledge.

Applied science

Science that aims to use scientific knowledge to solve immediate, specific problems.

Peer review

A blind process where scientists submit details of their experiments, results, and interpretations for reviewers to determine the veracity and merit of the work for publication.

Homeostasis

The property of life involved in maintaining ideal internal environments; also known as regulation.

Metabolism

The processing of energy through breakdown (catabolism) and building (anabolism).

Evolution

Descent with modification; a process that occurs only in populations or groups from one generation to the next, not in individuals.

Natural Selection

The mechanism in nature by which evolution occurs, as described by Darwin and Wallace, requiring time, genetic alteration, and death.

Artificial Selection

The evolution of natural things directed by human control.

Carl Woese

The microbiologist who constructed a phylogenetic tree using ribosomal RNA genes, separating life into $3$ domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya.

Prokaryotes

Single-celled organisms that lack intracellular organelles, specifically within the domains Bacteria and Archaea.

Organelle

A membrane-bound structure within a cell, such as a nucleus, that performs a specific function.

Population

All the individuals of a species living within a specific area, such as all the pine trees in a forest.

Community

The sum of all plant and animal species inhabiting a particular forest or area.

Ecosystem

Consists of all the living things in a particular area along with the non-living (abiotic) parts of the environment.

Biosphere

The highest level of biological organization, encompassing all the ecosystems on Earth.