Essay About Scientific Methods And Study Of Life

The Science of Biology
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The Science Of Biology:
Biology is the study of life
Biology is formed by the concepts, principles and theories that allow people to understand the natural environment
There is an order in the natural world
Biologists Study The Interactions Of Life:
Living things do not exist in isolation: they all contribute to the fragile balance of nature
Livings things depend on each other and nonliving things
Biologists Study The Diversity Of Life
Biologists Study The Interactions Of The Environment:
The study of one species always involves the study of another species with which it interacts
Biologists Study Problems And Propose Solutions:
Biological research can lead to advances in medical treatment and disease
The study of biology will teach you how humans function and how we fit with the rest of the natural world
Characteristics Of Living Things:
Sometimes nonliving things have characteristics of living things (i.e. fire)
An organism is something possesses all of the characteristics of life
All Organisms:
-have and orderly structure
-produce offspring
-grow and develop
-adjust to changes in the environment
Living Things Are Organized:
All living things show an orderly structure (organization)
All living things are
-filled with one or more cells
-contain the genetic material DNA (provides info needed to control the organisms life processes)
-are unified by cellular organization
Living Things Make More Living Things:
Reproduction (the production of offspring) is the most obvious of all characteristics of life
It is not essential for the survival of an organism to reproduce
It is essential for the continuation of a species (group of organisms that can interbreed)
Living Things Change During Their Lives:
Organisms begin as a single cell
An increase in the amount of living material and the formation of new structures is growth
Development is the changes your body undergoes in a lifetime
Living Things Adjust To Their Surroundings:
Environment is your surroundings
A condition that requires an organism to adjust is a stimulus
A reaction to a stimulus is a response
Adaptation is an important characteristic of a living thing
Homeostasis is the regulation of an organisms internal environment to maintain conditions suitable for its survival
Homeostasis occurs in all living things
Organisms would die without the ability to make internal changes
Energy is the ability to do work
Energy makes it possible for all life processes to occur
Living Things Adapt And Evolve:
An adaptation is anything that enables an organism to respond to a stimulus and better survive
Adaptations are inherited
Organisms with the most adaptations are the most likely to survive and reproduce
Evolution is the gradual accumulation of adaptations
Observing And Hypothesizing
The Methods Biologists Use:
Scientific methods are common steps that biologists use to gather information and answer questions
Scientists often identify problems (questions to be answered)
The Question Of Brown Tree Snakes:
Was accidentally introduced to the island of Guam in the 1940s
Was rumored to be beneficial for the environment because it feeds on rats, mice, and other small rodents
It was also hypothesized that it was responsible for the decrease in the bird population
A hypothesis is an explanation for a question or a problem that can be formally tested
A hypothesis is not a random guess
Before a hypothesis is made some research is done
Experimenting:
An experiment is a procedure that tests a hypothesis
What Is A Controlled Experiment?
Control is the group in which all conditions are kept the same
The experimental group is the test group, in which all conditions are kept the same except for the single condition being tested
Designing An Experiment:
Independent variable is the condition that is changed because it is the only variable that affects the outcome of the experiment
The dependent
variable is the condition that results from the change because any changes in it depends in changes made to the independent variable
Controlled experiments are most often used in laboratories
Non-controlled experiments are most often used in field work
Using