 A process of discovery; a way of knowing.  It is also a body of knowledge. It is a collection of unified insights about nature supported by facts. (Theory)  continuing effort to discover and increase human knowledge and understanding through disciplined research

THE WHOLE PROCESS  There are different terms used to describe scientific ideas based on the amount of confirmed experimental evidence. Hypothesis - a statement that uses a few observations - an idea based on observations without experimental evidence Theory - uses many observations and has loads of experimental evidence - can be applied to unrelated facts and new relationships - flexible enough to be modified if new data/evidence introduced Law - stands the test of time, often without change - experimentally confirmed over and over - can create true predictions for different situations - has uniformity and is universal

 Biology is the study of living things  Living things are diverse  There are enough similarities among some living things that they can be grouped into the same kingdom  Members of different kingdoms are usually very different from each other

 Archaebacteria: Methanogenic bacterium.  Eubacteria: Soil bacteria.  Protista: Unicellular eukaryotes(cells with a nucleus) and algae.  Fungi: Nonphotosynthetic multicellular organisms that digest their food externally.  Plantae: Photosynthetic multicellular terrestrial organisms.  Animalia: Nonphotosynthetic multicellular organisms that digest internally.

The Six Kingdoms of Life Figure 1.1

 What qualifies something as “living” versus “non-living?”  Consider these points ◦ complexity ◦ movement ◦ response to stimulation  A life-defining property must be exclusive to living things

 1. Cellular organization ◦ all living things are comprised of at least one cell  2. Metabolism ◦ all living things process energy which is used to power other processes  3. Homeostasis ◦ all living things maintain stable internal environments to optimize conditions for metabolism and other processes

 4. Growth and reproduction ◦ all organisms have the capacity for growth and reproduction  5. Heredity ◦ all organisms pass genetic information across generations from parents to offspring

 Living things function and interact with each other on many levels  The organization of life is a hierarchy of levels of increasing complexity ◦ cellular ◦ organismal ◦ populational

 Acceptance: Belief in something; taking something to be true based on someone else’s authority; second-hand information.  Analysis: Breaking down a concept into component parts to study it; first-hand knowledge.

 Subjective: Existing only within the experiencer’s mind; unable to be checked by an outside observer; feeling or an opinion.  Objective: Able to be observed, measured, or checked by an outside observer.

 X: There is a surfing competition in Virginia Beach each summer.  Y: Blue whales can reach 300 feet in length.  Z: Carlos Santana is one of the world’s finest guitar players.

 Where on the graph is the realm of ideas that science can work with? Why?

 The major points about scientific knowledge are:  Tentative: Scientific knowledge is never absolutely certain; New data may cause a change.  Objective: Science seeks to explain the physical universe. Objectivity is never complete because the research is done by humans.  Testable: Hypotheses suggest predictions that can be tested.

 Deductive reasoning utilizes logic rather than observations. Goes from a general statement to specific statements.  Inductive reasoning utilizes the discovery of general principles by observing or examining specific cases or examples.

 The scientific process has six stages 1. Observation  science begins with careful observation of natural phenomena 2. Hypothesis  scientists make an educated guess that might be true  often scientists formulate multiple ideas about a phenomenon; these are called alternative hypotheses

 3. Predictions ◦ if a hypothesis is correct, then specific consequences can be expected  4. Testing ◦ scientists conduct experiments to attempt to verify predictions made by hypotheses

 5. Controls ◦ experiments usually employ a parallel design  scientists use a control to assess the influence of potential factors, called variables  conditions stay the same in the control in comparison to the variable condition  6. Conclusion ◦ a hypothesis that has been tested and not rejected is tentatively accepted

 When does a hypothesis become theory? Is there a Scientific Supreme Court to rule?  Results of an experiment must be reproducible  Any hypothesis must be falsifiable  Every assertion regarding the natural world is subject to challenge and revision

 “ A scientist does not follow a fixed method to form hypotheses, but also relies on judgment and intuition.”

 A scientific theory is one that has withstood repeated observation and experimentation and hold true.  People use the term theory differently in common speech:  Scientist: Has certainty  Public: Lack of knowledge..”it’s only a theory”

 The scientific method is not always employed to reach a great discovery…some discoveries are accidental or based on intuition.  Science cannot explain every facet of life nor can it solve all problems.

 Cellular organization: one or more cells  Metabolism: utilizes energy  Homeostasis: maintains stable internal conditions  Reproduction  Heredity: DNA transfer of traits

 Living organisms function and interact with each other a many levels.  A key factor in organizing these interactions is the degree of complexity.  Examine Fig.1.5, p.6-7.

 There are five general themes that unify and explain biology:  Evolution: Change in species over time.  Darwin: Natural selection  Artificial selection  The biodiversity seen today is the result of a long history of natural selection.  Flow of energy through the food chain is key in shaping ecosystems(How many/what kind of organisms in an ecosystem)

 There are five general themes that unify and explain biology:  Cooperation between different organisms has led to co-evolution and is responsible for the biodiversity we see today.  Biological structures are closely related to their functions.  Maintaining homeostasis has contributed to the specialization of complex organisms.

 1. The Cell Theory  2. The Gene Theory  3. The Theory of Heredity  4. The Theory of Evolution

 all organisms are composed of at least one cell  the cell is the most basic unit of life  all cells come from pre-existing cells

 genetic information is encoded in molecules of deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)  genes can encode specific proteins or RNA, or they can act to regulate other genes  the proteins and RNA encoded by an organism’s genes determine what it will be like in terms of form and function

 genes are passed down in generations as discrete units ◦ Mendel’s theory of heredity gave rise to the field of genetics ◦ the chromosomal theory of inheritance located Mendelian genes on chromosomes

 Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution explains the unity and diversity of life as “descent with modification”  Advances in genetics have helped scientists understand precisely how changes in genes can result in adaptation and evolution.

 Scientists group organisms, based on similarities, into six kingdoms  Each of the six kingdoms can be assigned, on the basis of cell structure, into one of three larger groups called domains

 Do boys and girls have different pulse rates?