Unit 1: The Role Science Plays in the Study of Life

Vocabulary flashcards generated from Unit 1: The Role Science Plays in the Study of Life transcript.

science

an organized way of gathering and analyzing evidence about the natural world

observation

the act of noticing and describing events or processes in a careful, orderly way

inference

logical interpretation based on what scientists already know

hypothesis

possible explanation for a set of observations

controlled experiment

an experiment in which only one variable is changed

independent variable

the variable in an experiment that is changed or manipulated

dependent variable

the variable in an experiment that changes in response to the independent variable (responding variable)

control group

untreated or unaltered comparison group

data

detailed records from an experiment

theory

a well tested explanation for a range of phenomena

biology

the study of life

DNA

large molecule containing genetic information

stimulus

a signal to which an organism responds

sexual reproduction

cells from 2 parents unite to form a new organism

asexual reproduction

a single organism produces offspring identical to itself

homeostasis

the ability to keep their internal environment relatively stable

metabolism

the combinations of chemical reactions through which an organism builds up or breaks down materials