The Process and Foundations of Scientific Inquiry in Biology

A comprehensive vocabulary review of key concepts, proper nouns, figures, ethics, and terms from the biological scientific inquiry notes.

Henrietta Lacks

A 30-year-old African American woman diagnosed with cervical cancer at Johns Hopkins Hospital in 1951, whose cells were taken without her knowledge or permission to create the immortal HeLa cell line.

HeLa Cell Line

An immortal line of cells derived in 1951 from Henrietta Lacks that contributed to major medical discoveries including the polio vaccine and research on cancer, AIDS, cell aging, and COVID-19.

Cyanobacteria

Microscopic organisms, formerly called blue-green algae, that represent some of Earth's oldest life forms and layer to form structures called stromatolites.

Stromatolites

Ancient structures, such as those along the shores of Lake Thetis in Western Australia, formed by the layering of cyanobacteria in shallow waters.

Science

Knowledge about the natural world, derived from the Latin word scientia meaning 'knowledge'.

Biology

The study of life.

Hypothesis

A suggested explanation for an event, which can be tested.

Scientific Theory

A thoroughly tested and confirmed explanation for a set of observations or phenomena that forms the foundation of scientific knowledge.

Scientific Law

Concise descriptions, often expressed in mathematical formulas, of how elements of nature will behave under certain specific conditions.

Natural Sciences

Fields of science related to the physical world and its phenomena and processes, encompassing both life sciences and physical sciences.

Life Science

A field of science, such as biology, that studies living things.

Physical Science

A field of science, such as astronomy, physics, and chemistry, that studies nonliving matter.

Inductive Reasoning

A form of logical thinking that uses related observations to arrive at a general conclusion.

Deductive Reasoning

A form of logical thinking that uses a general statement, principle, or law to predict specific results.

Descriptive Science

A form of science (also called discovery science) that aims to observe, explore, and find things out.

Hypothesis-Based Science

A form of science that begins with a specific question or problem and a potential explanation that can be tested.

Sir Francis Bacon

An English scholar (1561-1626) credited with being the first to document the scientific method and set up inductive methods for scientific inquiry.

Prediction

A testable statement typically in the format 'If… then…' based on a hypothesis.

Falsifiable

Able to be disproven by experimental results.

Variable

Any part of an experiment that can vary or change during the experiment.

Control

A part of an experiment that does not change during the experiment.

Basic Science

Science that seeks to expand knowledge regardless of the short-term application of that knowledge.

Applied Science

A form of science (also called technology) that aims to use science to solve real-world problems.

Human Genome Project

A 13-year collaborative research effort completed in 2003 that mapped and analyzed each human chromosome to determine the exact sequence of DNA subunits and gene locations.

Gene

The basic unit of heredity represented by a specific DNA segment that codes for a functional molecule.

Serendipity

A fortunate accident or lucky surprise that leads to a scientific discovery.

Alexander Fleming

The biologist who accidentally discovered the antibiotic penicillin when Penicillium mold grew on an open petri dish of Staphylococcus bacteria and killed them.

Percy Lavon Julian

A medicinal chemist who discovered a mass-production method for stigmasterol (a primary ingredient in progesterone) after water accidentally leaked into a soybean oil storage tank.

Peer-Reviewed Article

A scientific report that is reviewed anonymously by a scientist's colleagues before publication to ensure the research is original, significant, logical, and thorough.

Homeostasis

The ability of an organism to maintain constant internal conditions.

Evolution

The process of gradual change in a population that can also lead to new species arising from older species.

Phylogenetic Tree

A diagram showing the evolutionary relationships among biological species based on similarities and differences in genetic or physical traits or both.