the science of biology

Lesson Overview Studying Life

The Science of Biology

1.3 Studying Life

All images from Google Images or Pearson textbook


Characteristics of Living Things

What characteristics do all living things share?

What are the central themes of biology?


Studying Life

Biology—the science that uses scientific methodologyto study living things.

bios = ______in Greek -logy means ________

Biology = The study of life


Characteristics of Living ThingsBiology is the study of life, but what is life?

o No single characteristic is enough to describe a living thing

o Also, some nonliving things share one or more traits with organisms. Ex:Ex:

o Some things, such as viruses, exist at the border between organisms and nonliving things.

o Despite these difficulties, we can list characteristics that most living things have in common.


Characteristics of Living Things1) Universal Genetic Code

o Living things are based on a universal genetic code.

o All organisms store the complex information they need to live, grow, and reproduce in a genetic code. o written in a molecule called ___________.

o Copied and passed from ____________ to ________________o Almost identical in every organism on Earth


Characteristics of Living Things2) Made of Cells

o Living things are made up of one or more cellso the smallest units considered fully alive

o Cells: o Cells can __________o Respond to their surroundings o ____________ Annie Cavanagh, Wellcome Images

o Despite their small size, complex and highly organized.

http://images.wellcome.ac.uk/






Characteristics of Living Things3) Obtain and Use Energy

o Need energy for everythingo Living things obtain and use materials and energy:

o to growo to developo to reproduce.

o Building or breaking down of these materials = __________________.

How humans obtain materialsfor energy: Eating!


Characteristics of Living Things4) Grow and Developo Living things grow and develop.

o During development, a single fertilized egg divides again and again.

Ex:


Characteristics of Living Things5) Reproduce

oLiving things reproduce = make new similar organisms as themselves

o________________ reproduction, in which cells from two parents unite to form the first cell of a new organism.

oAsexual reproduction, in which a single organism produces offspring ______________ to itself.


Characteristics of Living Things6) Respond to Environment

oLiving things respond to their environment.

oA ___________ = signal to which an organism responds.Ex:


Characteristics of Living Things7) Maintain Internal Environment

oStable internal environment, even when drastic changes.

oUse energy to keep conditions inside their cells within certain limits = ________________

For example, specialized cells help leaves regulate gases that enter and leave the plant.


Characteristics of Living Things 8) Change Over Time

oOver generations, groups of organisms evolve:

o = or change over time.

oAll forms of life linked to a common origin more than 3.5 billion years ago.


8) Change Over TimeEvidence of

this shared history is found in all aspects of living and fossil organisms, from physical features to structures of proteins to sequences of information in DNA.

Ex: signs of one of the first land plants, Cooksonia, are preserved in rock over 400 million years old.


Characteristics of Living ThingsWhat characteristics do all living things share?

Based on a universal genetic code Made up of basic units called cells obtain and use materials and energy grow and develop reproduce respond to their environment maintain a stable internal environment change over time


Big Ideas in Biology All biological sciences are tied together by “big

ideas” that overlap and interlock with one another.

Several of these big ideas overlap with the characteristics of life or the nature of science.


1) Cellular Basis of Life Living things are made of cells. single cell = called unicellular organisms.

Plants and animals are multicellular. Cells in multicellular organisms display many different sizes,

shapes, and functions.


2) Information and Heredity Living things are based on a universal genetic code.

The information coded in your DNA is similar to organisms that lived 3.5 billion years ago.

Ex: DNA inside your cells right now can influence your future—your risk of getting cancer, the amount of cholesterol in your blood, and the color of your children’s hair.


3) Matter and Energy Life requires matter, as nutrients to build body structures, and energy

that fuels life’s processes.

Some organisms, such as plants, obtain energy from sunlight and take up nutrients from air, water, and soil.

Other organisms, including most animals, eat plants or other animals to obtain both nutrients and energy.

The need for matter and energy link all living things on Earth in a web of interdependent relationships.


4) Growth, Development, and Reproduction

All living things reproduce.

Newly produced individuals grow and develop as they mature.

During growth and development, generalized cells typically become more different and specialized for particular functions.

Specialized cells build tissues, such as brains, muscles, and digestive organs, that serve various functions.


5) Homeostasis

Living things maintain a relatively stable internal environment.

For most organisms, any breakdown of homeostasis may have serious or even fatal consequences.


6) Evolution Groups of living things evolve. Evolutionary change links all forms of life

to a common origin more than 3.5 billion years ago. Evidence of this shared history is found in all aspects of living and fossil

organisms, from physical features to structures of proteins to sequences of information in DNA.

Evolutionary Theory is the central organizing principle of all biological and biomedical sciences.


7) Structure and Function Structures have evolved in ways that make particular functions possible.

Ex:


8) Unity and Diversity of Life

Life takes a variety of forms.

All organisms are composed of a common set of carbon-based molecules

Store information in a common genetic codeUse proteins to build their structures Carry out their functions.

Evolutionary theory explains both this unity of life and its diversity.


9) Interdependence in Nature All forms of life

on Earth are connected into a biospehere, or “living planet.”

Within the biosphere, organisms are linked to one another and to the land, water, and air around them.


Big Ideas in BiologyWhat are the central themes of biology?

Cellular Basis of Life Information and Heredity Matter and Energy Growth, Development, and Reproduction Homeostasis Evolution Structure and Function Unity and Diversity of Life Interdependence in Nature

the science of biology

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nonliving things

everythingliving things

environmentliving things

developliving things

cellsliving things

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