1. Studying Life Ms. Drumonde
Photo Credit: © Andrew Syred/Science Photo Library/Photo Researchers, Inc.

2. Biology is the study of living things

3. Characteristics of Living Things
Eight different characteristics are used to describe living things since no one, single characteristic is enough
Some nonliving things share one or more traits with living things.

4. Characteristics of Living Things
Made up of units called cells
A cell is the smallest unit of a living thing (an organism) that can be considered alive.
Humans have complex (Eukaryotic)
cells with many specialized organelles
Bacteria are made of simple (prokaryotic) cells
Viruses are considered non-living since they are not made of cells

5. Characteristics of Living Things
2) Reproduce: Make new organisms, two main types:
e.g. = for example
1st type-Sexual reproduction: material (e.g. DNA) from two different parents unite to form the first cell of the new, genetically unique organism (e.g. plants seeds; animals lay eggs or give birth to live young)

6. Characteristics of Living Things
2) Reproduce: Make new organisms
2nd type-Asexual reproduction: a single parent copies itself to make offspring that are identical to itself. The new organisms are genetically identical to the parent-clones (e.g. all bacterial asexually divide to make the next generation, some plants can grow roots from their cut stems to grow new plants, some animals (e.g. flatworms) can regrow from parts of themselves)
e.g. = for example
Planarian regeneration cut (30 sec, pictures, HHMI)-
Planaria Flatworm Regeneration & Movement (2:00 live images, kid voices)-
Types Asexual Reproduction (4:42 read over diagram) -

7. Characteristics of Living Things
Grow and develop
During an organism’s development, cells differentiate (they change to look different from one another and perform different functions or jobs).
Draw & label this diagram

8. Characteristics of Living Things
Based on a universal genetic code that is used by all living things on Earth
Organisms store the information they need to live, grow, and reproduce in a genetic code molecule called DNA

9. Characteristics of Living Things
Obtain materials and use energy.
The combination of all the chemical reactions an organism uses to build with (growth, repair, etc.) or break down materials (digestion, etc.) is called metabolism.

10. Characteristics of Living Things
Respond to their environment.
Sensory cells (e.g. hearing, feeling, seeing, etc.) pick up a stimulus (signal the organism can respond to)

11. Characteristics of Living Things
Homeostasis: Maintain a stable internal environment
Although conditions outside an organism may change, conditions inside an organism tend to remain constant (close to the same)
Examples:
Temperature,
Amount of Oxygen or sugar in the blood, Water levels,
etc.

12. Characteristics of Living Things
Change over time
Over many generations, groups of organisms typically evolve (change over time)

13. Big Ideas in Biology Science as a Way of Knowing
Science is not just a list of “facts” but a Way of Knowing or understanding the natural world
The job of science is to use observations, questions, and experiments to reveal rules and patterns to explain what we see and maybe predict some events.

14. Branches of Biology Branches of Biology
There are many branches of biology. For example:
Zoologists study animals.
Botanists study plants.
Paleontologists study ancient life.