 Bio= Life  ology= study of

Biology is the study of living things. Chemistry focuses on the chemicals that comprise matter. Physics focuses on the laws that mother nature set for all matter: living and nonliving. All three major branches of science can decipher and explain the mysteries of life. *So yes, in biology we learn a little about other sciences since both chemistry and physics help explain the “living” organisms.

Prefixes and suffixes can help you figure out many biology terms such as…. Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis By “dissecting” these words, you will be able to understand many biology words that seem complicated. Prefixes- before (pre) Suffixes- after ( pneu-), or (pneumo-) which means lung. ultra, meaning extreme, microscopic, meaning small. (silico-), which refers to silicon (volcano-) which refers to the mineral particles that make up a volcano. (coni-), a derivative of the Greek word konis meaning dust. (-osis) which means affected with. Considering the prefix (pneumo-) and the suffix (-osis), we can determine that the lungs are affected with something. But what? Breaking down the rest of the terms we get extremely small (ultramicroscopic) silicon (silico-) and volcanic (volcano-) dust (coni-) particles. Thus, pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis is a disease of the lungs resulting from the inhalation of very fine silicate or quartz dust.

Prefixes Bacteri- bacteria Bio- life Cardio- heart Chem- chemicals Embry- egg Entom- insects Hemato- blood Hydro-water Immuno- immune system Macro-large Micro- small Neur- brain, nerves Path- disease Pulm- lung Sucr- sugar Suffixes - ase(enzyme) -itis(inflammation) -lysis(break apart) - ology (study of) - ologist(studies) - ose(sugar) - oxide(containing oxygen)

 The Scientific method is used to help scientists gather scientific information.  Science is an organized way of gathering and analyzing evidence about the natural world.  Science is a process in order to observe, think, and know about the natural world. 1.Science never deals with any supernatural phenomena of any kind, it only concerns itself with natural world. 2.Scientists collect and organize information in an orderly way, looking for patterns and connections among events. 3.Scientists propose explanations that are based on evidence, not belief. Why is science still such a mystery? Science never stands still, almost every major scientific discovery raises more questions than answers.

1.Observing and asking questions: a)Observation- act of noticing and describing events or processes in a careful, orderly way. “think something that nobody has thought yet, while looking at something that everybody sees” –Arthur Schopenhauer That leads to questions people have never asked 2.Inferring and Forming a hypothesis: a)Inference- logical interpretation based on what scientists already know b)hypothesis- scientific explanation for a set of observations that can be tested in ways that support or reject it. We observe a species of cactus in the desert and make an inference (cactus must store water for longer periods in order to survive) because we know that plants need water. We would then provide a hypothesis of how this is possible. What do you think?

3. Designing Controlled Experiments: a)Testing a scientific experiments that keeps track of changing factors, or variables. a)Examples of variables: equipment used, types of materials, amount of material, temperature, light, time. b)Independent Variable (manipulated variable)- deliberately changed c)Dependent Variable (responding variable)- is observed and that changes in response to the independent variable. b)Whenever possible, an experiment should be made where only one variable changes= Controlled experiment. c)In any experiment you need a control group and experimental group Control group is different than Controlled experiment, how? A control group is exposed to the same conditions as the experimental group except for one independent variable. A controlled experiment just explain that an experiment should usually have only one independent variable.

What is the independent variable? What is the dependent variable? IV: Fertilizer DV: growth of plants Which plot of land will grow taller plants?

4. Data- The information collected through observations and experiments. - Very detailed - Quantitative data- are numbers obtained by counting or measuring. -Qualitative date- are descriptive and involve descriptions that can’t be counted. Sources of error should always be stated in experiments because the most important thing about experiments is you must be able to replicate the results for it to be accurate. large sample sizes help with errors

5. Drawing Conclusions: The experimental data is used as evidence to support, refute, or revise the hypothesis being tested, and then to draw a valid conclusion. Some experiments are not possible: 1.Not always possible to test a hypothesis, such as animal behaviorist. 2.Ethics 1.If a scientists wanted to test people that have been exposed to a certain deadly chemical they wouldn’t intentionally expose them but instead ask for volunteers who already have been exposed to that chemical. 6. Communicating Results: Other scientist should be able to take your finding and replicate them. Peer review- where your findings get reviewed by experts and then published in scientific journals to share their ideas and test and evaluate each other’s work.

Remember, Scientist must publish their research (with flaws and all). Journals are considered the primary source of scientific information. They contain the original research papers papers are written following scientific style of abstract (summary) of the research, statement of the hypothesis, description of materials used, how the experiment was designed and performed, results of the experiment (including raw data, graphs, tables, conclusions and errors). Textbooks are considered secondary sources of information. they do not contain research papers, but they’re usually written by experts in the field. Good to turn to for history of a topic, basic facts about a subject, and summaries of certain research. Popular press are considered tertiary (3 rd level) sources of information. these include newsstand magazine, newspaper, television, or radio programs. scientists hate being misquoted and misunderstood Tertiary sources should not be used as an only resource, because it can be incorrect.

Redi’s Experiment on Spontaneous Generation Observations: Flies land on meat that is left uncovered. Later, maggots appear on the meat. Hypothesis: Flies produce maggots. Procedure Controlled Variables: Jars, type of meat, location, temperature, time Independent (manipulated) variables: Gauze covering that keeps flies away from meat Dependent (responding) variables: Whether maggots appear Conclusion: Maggots form only when flies come in contact with meat. Spontaneous generation of maggots did not occur. When the jar is sealed completely, the maggots don’t form because they come from the flies. Control Group

Theory- well tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations and hypotheses and that enables scientists to make accurate predictions about new situations. No theory is considered absolute truth, can be considered dominant view of the majority of scientists. Remember, science is always changing as new evidence is uncovered, a theory may be revised or replaced by a more useful explanation. Theory of Plate Tectonics and Evolution help explain why marsupials such as koalas and kangaroos can be found only in Australia and some nearby islands.

What distinguishes living with nonliving matter? So what are the characteristics of life?

Living things are: 1 All organisms store the information needed to live, grow, and reproduce in genetic code written in a molecule called DNA. Copied and passed from parent to offspring Life’s genetic code is almost identical in every organism on earth.

Living things: 2 Every organism has a particular pattern of growth and development. During development, a single fertilized egg divides again and again. As the cell divides, they differentiate, or begin to look different from one another and perform different functions.

Living things: Organisms detect and respond to stimuli from their environment. Stimulus- is a signal to which an organism responds. 3

Living things: 4 Organisms are composed of one or more cells—the smallest units considered FULLY ALIVE. Cells can grow, respond to their surroundings, and reproduce. Despite their small size, cells are complex and highly organized.

Living things: 5 All organisms reproduce, meaning they produce new similar organisms. Most plants and animals engage in sexual reproduction. Sexual Reproduction: Cells from two parents unite to form the first cell of a new organism Asexual Reproduction: Single organism produces offspring identical to itself.

Living things: 6 All organisms need to keep their internal environment relatively STABLE, even when external conditions change dramatically. HOMEOSTASIS

7 All organisms must take in materials and energy to grow, develop, and reproduce. The combination of chemical reactions through which an organism builds up or breaks down materials is called METABOLISM Living things: 7

8 Over generations, groups of organisms evolve, or change over time. Evolutionary change links all forms of life to a common origin more than 3.5 billion years ago. Evidence of this shared history is shown from physical features to structures of proteins to sequences of information in DNA.