5 Minute Brainstorm: What is SCIENCE? What is BIOLOGY? What characteristics do things that are “Alive” share?

The Scientific Method

What Is Life? Capture and use of energy and raw materials Sense and respond to the environment Capacity to grow, reproduce, and develop Tendency to evolve

UNIVERSAL #1: Molecules of Life All things are made up of the same units of matter (atoms, molecules) Living things are made of up of a certain subset of molecules: nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids

UNIVERSAL #2: DNA The signature molecule of life Molecule of inheritance Directs assembly of amino acids

UNIVERSAL #3: Nothing Lives Without Energy Energy = Capacity to do work Metabolism = Reactions by which cells acquire and use energy to grow, survive, and reproduce

UNIVERSAL #4: Sensing and Responding Organisms sense changes in their environment and make responses to them

UNIVERSAL #5: Homeostasis Maintenance of internal environment within range suitable for cell activities Example: Pancreas maintains level of sugar in blood by secreting hormones

UNIVERSAL #6: Basic Unit of Life = The Cell Characteristics of life emerge at the level of cells A cell is the smallest unit having the capacity to live and reproduce

Universal #7: Life is ORGANIZED Increasing Levels of Organization: Cell Multicelled Organism Population Community Ecosystem Biosphere

UNIVERSAL #8: Interdependencies Among Organisms Producers Make their own food Consumers Depend on energy stored in tissues of producers Decomposers Break down remains and wastes

UNIVERSAL #9: Unity of Life All organisms: Are composed of the same substances Sense and respond to the environment Have the capacity to reproduce based on instructions in DNA How would a biologist explain this UNITY??

UNIVERSAL #10: Diversity of Life Millions of living species Additional millions of species now extinct How would a biologist explain this DIVERSITY??

Explaining the Paradox of Unity and Diversity: Evolution

What must a cell be able to do in order to survive and reproduce?? For Now, Back to Cells What must a cell be able to do in order to survive and reproduce??