Basics of biology including principles of biology and characteristics of life.

1. BBiioollooggyy
TThhee sscciieennccee ooff ssttuuddyyiinngg lliivviinngg oorrggaanniissmmss
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2. From the Greek
Bios — life
-logia — study of
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3. What does Biology Examine?
Biology examines the:
 Structure
 Function
 Growth
 Origin
 Evolution
 Distribution
 Classification
Of all living things.
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4. 5 unifying principles
The foundation of modern
biology:
 Cell Theory
 Evolution
 Gene Theory
 Energy
 Homeostasis
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5. What is life?
 There is not a clear-cut
definition of life.
 Some biologists may
use different terms and
still be discussing the
same phenomena.
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6. What is life?
 Currently biologists accept
that the following
phenomena are all or mostly
exhibited by organisms:
 Homeostasis
 Organization
 Metabolism
 Growth
 Adaptation
 Response to stimuli
 Reproduce
 Hereditary molecule is
DNA
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7. Homeostasis
 Living things adjust to
their surroundings
 It is the regulation of
internal environment to
maintain a constant
state.
 Example:
 Body temperature
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8. Organization
 Living things are
organized
 Composed of one or
more cells (basic unit
of life)
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9. Metabolism
 Require energy
 Organisms respire
(transform energy)
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10. Growth
 Growth and Development
 Living things change over their lives
 Reproduce cells
 Increase in size of all of its parts
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11. Adaptation
 Living things adapt
 Change over time in
response to the
environment
 Is determined by
organism’s population
genetics (heredity)
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12. Response to Stimuli
 Response to a Stimulus
 Often expressed by
motion or movement
 Examples:
 Geotropism
 Phototropism
 Sneeze
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13. Reproduction
 Living things reproduce
 Create new individual
 Asexually
 Sexually
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14. Hereditary Molecule
 DNA is mechanism by
which traits are passed
to next generation.
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15. Is it alive?
 Fire
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16. Is it alive?
 Viruses
 Microscopic
 Can only reproduce
inside a host cell
Influenza virus
X 100,000
Transmission Electron Microscope
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17. Is it alive?
 Bacteria
 Microscopic
 Unicellular
 Can reproduce on
its own
Escherichia coli commonly E. coli
X 10,000
Low Temperature Electron Microscope
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18. Is it alive?
 Fungi
 May be
microscopic
 Both unicellular
and multicellular
forms
 Can reproduce on
its own
 Asexually
 Sexually
Mold on a peach
Over six days.
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19. Is it alive?
 Plants
 May be
microscopic
 Both unicellular
and multicellular
forms
 Can reproduce on
its own
 Asexually
 Sexually
Lithops salicola
From southern Africa
Often known as pebble plants or living
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20. The Martian and the Car 1
 Marty Martian was sent to
Earth by the Martian
government to find life.
 While on Earth, Marty
captured a car and brought it
back to Mars.
 He thought he'd found a good
example of life on Earth.
 The Martian government does
not believe that the car Marty
brought back is alive.
 Marty must stand trial for
failing to perform his Martian
duties.
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21. The Martian and the Car 2
 At the trail, Marty spoke in his defense.
 "I first saw these life forms rolling along
roads in great numbers. They were giving
off thick clouds of poisonous waste as
they moved. They seemed to exhibit
herding behavior, as many of the cars
moved in the same direction. They
appeared to have a great deal of energy,
some of them moved faster than 60
kilometers per hour. When one of these
life forms stopped or slow down, the
others behind it responded. They slowed
down and gave off a reddish light from
the back, and sometimes they would make
honking noises. I observed that they
would stop to feed on a liquid substance."
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22. The Martian and the Car 3
 Take the part of Marty's
defense attorney and
make a good case for
the car's being alive.
 Then be the prosecutor
and show that the car is
a nonliving thing.
 List as many reasons as
you can.
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23. The Martian and the Car 4
 Defense Attorney’s
Reasons
1. ____________________
2. ____________________
3. ____________________
4. ____________________
5. ____________________
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24. The Martian and the Car 5
 Prosecutor’s Reasons
1. ____________________
2. ____________________
3. ____________________
4. ____________________
5. ____________________
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25. A Story: Is Sammy Alive?
 Sammy was a normal, healthy
boy.
 There was nothing in his life to
indicate that he was anything
different from anyone else.
 When he completed high school,
he obtained a job in a factory,
operating a machine press.
 On this job he had an accident
and lost his hand.
 It was replaced with an artificial
hand that looked and operated
almost like a real one.
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26. A Story: Is Sammy Alive?
 Everything looked good for
Sammy until he was
involved in a serious car
accident.
 Both of his legs and his good
arm were crushed and it was
amputated.
 He also lost an ear. Artificial
legs enabled Sammy to walk
again, and an artificial arm
replaced the real arm. Plastic
surgery enabled doctors to
rebuild the ear.
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27. A Story: Is Sammy Alive?
 Over the next several years,
Sammy was plagued with
internal disorders.
 First, he had to have an
operation to remove his
aorta and replace it with a
synthetic vessel.
 Next, he developed a kidney
malfunction, and the only
way he could survive was to
use a kidney dialysis
machine (no donor was
found for a kidney
transplant).
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28. A Story: Is Sammy Alive?
 Later, his digestive system
became cancerous and
was removed.
 He received nourishment
intravenously.
 Finally, his heart failed.
 Luckily for Sammy, a
donor heart was available,
and he had a heart
transplant.
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29. A Story: Is Sammy Alive?
 It was now obvious that
Sammy had become a
medical phenomenon.
 He had artificial limbs,
nourishment was supplied to
him through his veins;
therefore he had no solid
wastes.
 The kidney dialysis machine
removed all waste material.
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30. A Story: Is Sammy Alive?
 The heart that pumped his
blood to carry oxygen and food
to his cells was not his original
heart.
 But Sammy's transplanted heart
began to fail.
 He was immediately placed on
a heart-lung machine.
 This supplied oxygen and
removed carbon dioxide from
his blood, and it circulated
blood through his body.
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31. A Story: Is Sammy Alive?
 The doctors consulted
bioengineers about Sammy.
 Because almost all of his
life-sustaining functions were
being carried on by machine,
it might be possible to
compress all of these
machines into one mobile
unit, which would be
controlled by electrical
impulses from Sammy's
brain.
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32. A Story: Is Sammy Alive?
 This unit would be equipped with
mechanical arms to enable him to
perform manipulative tasks.
 A mechanism to create a flow of
air over his vocal cords might
enable him to speak.
 To do all this, they would have to
amputate at the neck and attach
his head to the machine, which
would then supply all nutrients to
his brain.
 Sammy consented, and the
operation was successfully
performed.
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33. A Story: Is Sammy Alive?
 Sammy functioned well for a few
years.
 However, a slow deterioration of
his brain cells was observed and
was diagnosed as terminal.
 So the medical team that had
developed around Sammy began
to program his brain.
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34. A Story: Is Sammy Alive?
 A miniature computer was
developed: it could be housed in a
machine that was humanlike in
appearance, movement, and
mannerisms.
 As the computer was installed,
Sammy's brain cells completely
deteriorated.
 Sammy was once again able to
leave the hospital with complete
assurance that he would not return
with biological illness.
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35. IIss SSaammmmyy AAlliivvee??
WWhhaatt ddoo yyoouu tthhiinnkk??
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