evolution
the process of change that has transformed life from its beginning to its current form; descent w/ modification; the idea that living species are descendants of ancestral species that were different from present-day ones; also defined more narrowly as the
biology
the scientific study of life
biosphere
all life on Earth and places on Earth where life exists
ecosystem
all the living things in a particular area & non-living components which interact w/ those living organisms (ex. soil, light, water, etc.)
communities
the array of organisms (species) inhabiting a particular ecosystem
population
the number of individuals of a given species living in a specified area (community)
organims
individual living things
organ
a body part that carries out a specific function in the body; organs of complex plants and animals are organized into organ systems; organs consist of multiple types of tissues
organ system
a group of organs that cooperate in a larger function
tissues
a group of cells which work together to perform specialized functions
cell
life's fundamental unit of structure and function
organelles
the various functional components present in cells
molecules
a chemical structure consisting of two or more units called atoms
reductionism
the approach of reducing complex systems to simpler components that are more manageable to study
emergent properties
new properties that arise at each step upward in the hierarchy of life due to the arrangements and interactions of parts as complexity increases
systems biology
an approach to studying biology that aims to model dynamic behavior of whole biological systems based on a study of the interactions among the system's parts
eukaryotic cell
a type of cell with a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles; organisms w/ eukaryotic cells (protists, plants, fungi, and animals) are called eukaryotes
prokaryotic cell
a type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclose organelles; organisms w/ prokaryotic cells (bacteria and archaea) are called prokaryotes
DNA (deoxyribose nucleic acid)
a nucleic acid molecule, usually a double-stranded helix, in which each polynucleotide strand consists of nucleotide monomers w/ a deoxyribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T); capable of being replic
gene
a discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA, in some viruses)
gene expression
the process by which information encoded in DNA directs the synthesis of proteins, or in some cases, RNAs that are not translated into proteins and instead function as RNAs
genome
the genetic material of an organism or virus; the complete complement of an organism's or virus's genes along w/ its noncoding nucleic acid sequences
genomics
the study of whole sets of genes and their interactions within a species, as well as genome comparisons b/w species
proteomics
the systematic study of the full protein sets (proteomes) encoded by genomes
proteome
the entire set of proteins expressed by a given cell, tissue, or organism
bioinformatics
the use of computational tools to store, organize, and analyze the huge volume of date resulting from high-throughput methods
climate change
a directional change in temperature, precipitation, or other aspect of the global climate that lasts for three decades or more
Archaea
one of two prokaryotic domains, the other being Bacteria
Bacteria
one of two prokaryotic domains, the other being Archaea
Eukarya
the domain that includes all eukaryotic organims
natural selection
a process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits
science
an approach to understanding the natural world
inquiry
the search for information and explanation, often focusing on specific questions
data
recorded observations
inductive reasoning
a type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations; specific --> broad
hypothesis
a testable explanation for a set of observations based on the available data and guided by inductive reasoning; a hypothesis is narrower in scope than a theory
experiment
a scientific test; often carried out under controlled conditions that involve manipulating one factor in a system in order to see the effects of changing that factor
deductive reasoning
a type of logic in which specific results are predicted from a general premise; broad --> specific; "If..then" hypothesis reasoning
controlled experiment
an experiment designed to compare an experimental group w/ a control group; ideally, the two groups differ only in the factor being tested
variable
a factor that varies during an experiement
independent variable
a factor whose value is manipulated or changed during an experiment to reveal possible effects on another factor (the dependent variable)
dependent variable
a factor whose value is measured in an experiment to see whether it is influenced by changes in another factor (the independent variable)
scientific theory
an explanation that is broader in scope than a hypothesis, generates new hypotheses, and is supported by a large body of evidence
technology
the application of scientific knowledge for a specific purpose, often involving industry or commerce but also including uses in basic research