General Biology I - Characteristics of Life and Scientific Method

Vocabulary flashcards covering core concepts from General Biology I, including characteristics of living organisms, biological reasoning, scientific method procedures, experimental design, and research ethics.

Biological growth

An increase in cell size, cell number, or both.

Development

All the changes that take place during an organism's life.

Metabolism

The sum of all the chemical activities of an organism, essential for cell nutrition, growth, and repair.

Homeostasis

The regulation of metabolism to maintain a steady state within an organism.

Stimuli

Physical or chemical changes in an organism's external or internal environment.

Asexual reproduction

A mode of reproduction where organisms perpetuate themselves and mutation is the only source of variation.

Sexual reproduction

A mode of reproduction involving the fusion of egg and sperm, resulting in genetic variation.

Adaptation

Inheriting structural, physiological, biochemical, or behavioral traits that improve an organism's ability to survive.

Science

Learning about the world through observation and experimentation, relying strictly on evidence without judgments.

Technology

The application of scientific knowledge in tools and procedures; the practical application of scientific theory.

Deduction

Reasoning from the general to the particular, starting from given premises to draw logical conclusions.

Induction

Reasoning from the particular to the general, generalizing a broad pattern from specific observed facts.

Hypothesis

A testable explanation of observations, abstract in nature, and usually stated in the form of predictions.

Falsifiable hypothesis

A hypothesis that can be investigated scientifically and rejected if contradicting evidence appears.

Control group

The group in an experiment that mimics the experimental setup without real manipulation, serving as a baseline.

Experimental group

The group in an experiment that receives the real manipulation or variable being tested.

Scientific theory

An integrated explanation of an aspect of the natural world, supported by several hypotheses with consistent results.

Paradigm

A set of assumptions that define a way of thinking within a scientific field.

Paradigm shift

A reorganization of what the scientific community accepts as a valid explanation when evidence contradicts existing assumptions.

Reproducibility

An ethical standard requiring scientific methods to be described in enough detail for independent observers to repeat the study.