BIO 130 - Topic 1: The Study of Life Flashcards

Comprehensive practice flashcards covering introductory concepts of biology, scientific methods, chemistry of life, macromolecules, and cell biology.

What course code and topic title are presented on Page 1 of the lecture notes?

BIO 130, Topic 1: The study of life by C. Kunkel.

What is an empirical study?

A study that uses the scientific method to investigate the observable universe.

What is the rationale of a scientific hypothesis?

The proposed logic behind a hypothesis, which assumes there is a reason rooted in the natural world.

What property must a testable hypothesis have?

A testable hypothesis is falsifiable.

What is an independent variable?

The variable that is altered by a researcher in an experiment.

What is a dependent variable?

The variable that "depends" on the independent variable.

What are confounding variables?

Variables that were not considered and may have an impact on the experiment.

What is the purpose of a control group?

A control group helps isolate the one variable that is the focus of the experiment.

How is inductive reasoning defined in the lecture?

Inductive reasoning is drawing a general conclusion from a number of specific observations.

How is deductive reasoning defined in the lecture?

Deductive reasoning is predicting specific results from a general premise.

What are the five standard sections included in a peer-reviewed article?

Abstract, Introduction, Materials/methods, Results, and Conclusion.

What is a review article?

A compilation of ideas from multiple peer-reviewed articles that is not representative of a single experiment.

How does the Oxford Dictionary define ethics according to the lecture?

"Moral principles that govern a person's behavior or the conducting of an activity".

What are the six characteristics of living things listed in the notes?

Growth and development, Movement, Metabolism, Organization, Responsiveness (or Homeostasis), and Reproduction.

How is growth defined as a characteristic of life?

An increase in size, through an increase in cell size, the number of cells, or the amount of material surrounding cells.

How is development defined as a characteristic of life?

When cells become specialized or the organism becomes more complex.

What forms of motion are included under the movement characteristic of life?

Motion of the whole body, individual organs, single cells, and substances moving in or out of the cell.

What is metabolism?

The sum of all the chemical processes that occur in the body, involving making and breaking chemicals.

What is responsiveness or homeostasis?

The body's ability to detect and respond to environmental changes.

How is reproduction defined in the characteristics of life?

The formation of NEW cells for growth, repair, or replacement, or the production of a NEW individual.

Why does one bacterium dividing into two represent both reproduction and growth?

It is reproduction because a new individual is produced, and growth because there are now more bacterial cells.

What structural feature serves as a boundary for cellular organization?

A cell membrane.

What are the two levels within the chemical tier of organization in complex life?

Atom (the basic unit of all matter) and Molecule (combination of two or more atoms).

What is the cellular level in the organization of complex life?

The basic unit of life, made of complex organic molecules.

What is a tissue?

Cells with similar structure that work together for a common function.

What is an organ?

Two or more different types of tissues that have specific functions.

What is an organ system?

Several organs that work together for a common function.

What is an organism in the context of biological organization?

All organ systems that work together to maintain life.

What are the electrical charges of protons, electrons, and neutrons?

Protons have a positive charge, electrons have a negative charge, and neutrons have a neutral charge.

What is an isotope?

One or more forms of an element that have different numbers of neutrons.

Which radioisotope of carbon is used to date biological remains?

Carbon-14 ($C\text{-}14$).

What is a chemical reaction?

A process leading to rearranging atoms in molecules.

What is chemical reactivity?

The ability to combine and to chemically bond with each other.

What is a chemical bond?

An interaction between two or more of the same or different atoms that results in forming molecules.

What is the octet rule?

The rule that atoms are most stable when they hold eight electrons in their outermost shells.

What is an ionic bond?

A chemical bond that forms between ions with opposite charges (cations and anions).

What is the difference between an anion and a cation?

An anion is a negative ion formed by gaining one or more electrons (e.g., $Cl^-$), while a cation is a positive ion formed by losing one or more electrons (e.g., $Na^+$).

What is dissociation?

The release of an ion from a molecule such that the original molecule now consists of an ion and the charged remains of the original, such as when water dissociates into $H^+$ and $OH^-$.

What is an electrolyte?

An ion necessary for nerve impulse conduction, muscle contractions, and water balance.

What is a covalent bond?

A type of strong bond formed between two atoms of the same or different elements when electrons are shared between atoms.

What is a hydrogen bond?

A weak bond between slightly positively charged hydrogen atoms and slightly negatively charged atoms in other molecules.

What is a Van der Waals interaction?

A very weak interaction between molecules due to temporary charges attracting atoms that are very close together.

What roles do cytoplasm and hydrolysis play in relation to water?

Cytoplasm is where all biochemical reactions happen in water, and hydrolysis uses water to allow molecular bonds to be broken and rearranged.

How are cohesion and adhesion differentiated for water in the lecture?

Cohesion relates to capillary action, while adhesion is described as water molecules sticking together.

What is the monomer and polymer form of a carbohydrate?

The monomer is a monosaccharide, and the polymer is starch.

What is the monomer, polymer, and cellular structure for proteins?

The monomer is an amino acid, the polymer is a polypeptide, and the cellular structure is intermediate filaments.

What is the monomer, polymer, and cellular structure for nucleic acids?

The monomer is a nucleotide, the polymer is double helix (DNA), and the cellular structure is a chromosome.

What is the subunit, polymer, and cellular structure for lipids?

The subunit is a fatty acid, the polymer is a triglyceride, and the cellular structure is adipose cells.

What is a hydrocarbon?

A molecule that consists only of carbon and hydrogen.

What is the difference between an aliphatic hydrocarbon and an aromatic hydrocarbon?

An aliphatic hydrocarbon consists of a linear chain of carbon atoms, whereas an aromatic hydrocarbon consists of closed rings of carbon atoms.

What is the difference between isomers and enantiomers?

Isomers are molecules that differ from one another despite sharing the same chemical formula; enantiomers share overall structure and bonding patterns but differ in 3D placement as mirror images.

What were the discoveries of Matthias Schleiden (1838) and Theodor Schwann (1839)?

Botanist Matthias Schleiden concluded all plants are made of cells, and physiologist Theodor Schwann concluded all animals are made of cells.

What were the findings of Louis Pasteur (1864) and Walther Flemming (1882)?

Louis Pasteur established that life arises from life without spontaneous generation, and Walther Flemming stated cells divide by dividing their nucleus (omnis nucleus e nucleo).

What are the three statements that comprise Cell Theory?

1. All living things are made of one or more cells. 2. In the modern world, cells arise only from the division of living cells. 3. Cells are the smallest unit to be considered alive.

What are the key differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells regarding diameter, organelles, and chromosomes?

Prokaryotes ($0.1\,\mu m$ to $5.0\,\mu m$) lack membrane-bound internal organelles and have a single circular chromosome in a nucleoid, whereas Eukaryotes ($20\,\mu m$ to $200\,\mu m$) have membrane-bound organelles (like a nucleus) and multiple linear chromosomes.