BIOLOGY 151: Properties of Life, Levels of Biological Organization, & The Scientific Method

Flashcards covering key vocabulary terms on the properties of life, levels of biological organization, and the scientific method, based on lecture notes from BIOLOGY 151.

Biology

The study of life.

Organism

Any living thing that shares common characteristics of life.

Cell

The basic unit of all living things, separated from surroundings by a plasma membrane, and can be single or multicellular.

Homeostasis

The ability of an organism to maintain relatively constant internal conditions.

Stimuli

Changes in the internal or external environment that organisms sense and respond to.

Photosynthesis

The process by which plants obtain energy from sunlight.

DNA (Deoxyribonucleic acid)

Genetic material present in every cell and passed on to descendants, containing specific segments called genes.

Gene

A specific segment of DNA that is the basic unit of heredity.

Evolution

The process by which descendants of organisms adapt and change over time.

Extinction

The end of an organism or a group of organisms, often caused by the inability to adapt to changing environmental conditions.

Scientific Method

A systematic approach used by scientists to ask and answer questions about the physical world, consisting of six interrelated elements.

Observation

The initial step in the scientific method, involving noticing a phenomenon.

Hypothesis

A proposed explanation for an observation, forming the basis for a prediction.

Prediction

A statement made based on a hypothesis, often in an 'If this…, then that…' format, to be tested by an experiment.

Experiment

A procedure conducted to test a prediction derived from a hypothesis.

Conclusion

The outcome reached at the end of the scientific method, based on repeatable results.

Natural Cause

A principle of science stating that events can be traced to a natural, rather than supernatural, reason.

Scientific Research Principles

Underlying concepts of science including tracing events to natural causes, unchanging natural laws, and objective, unbiased methodology.

Penicillin

The first antibiotic discovered by Sir Alexander Fleming, which was found to kill bacteria due to a chemical produced by the Penicillium mold.