2. Goals of science: To investigate and understand the natural world
To explain events in the natural world
Use explanations to predict

3. Some of the many types of science:
Biology: the study of life
Astronomy: the study of space
Botany: the study of plants
Chemistry: the study of reactions, creations, and the binding of matter
Geology: the study of Earth and its components
Physics: the study of matter, energy, space, and time

4. Things Biologists Study
Cells DNA Genetics Ecology Plants Human Body Evolution

5. Think Like a Biologist!
Come up with 5 questions that a biologist could ask about these pictures

6. Characteristics of Living Things
ALL living things share 8 characteristics:
Made up of units called cells
Reproduce
Based on a universal genetic code
Grow and develop
Obtain and use materials and energy
Respond to their environment
Maintain a stable internal environment
Change over time

7. 1. Living things are made up of units called cells
Cells-the smallest unit of an organism that can be considered alive

8. 2. Living things can reproduce
Sexual Reproduction-cells from 2 different parents unite to form the first cell of a new organism
Asexual Reproduction-a single parent produces offspring that are identical to itself

9. 3. Living things are based on a universal genetic code
The genetic code is stored in DNA and is the blueprint to your body.
DNA is copied and passed from parents to offspring

10. 4. Living things grow and develop
During development, cells divide. These new cells add to the living thing, making it grow bigger.
During an organism’s development, cells differentiate, which means that the cells look different from one another and perform different functions.

11. 5. Living things obtain and use materials and energy
Living things need energy to survive
They collect and capture resources they need to survive

12. 6. Living things respond to their environment
Stimulus-a signal from the environment that a living things responds to

13. 7. Living things maintain a stable internal environment
Homeostasis- an organism’s ability to maintain a relatively stable internal environment in the face of changing external conditions
Although conditions outside an organism may change, conditions inside an organism tend to remain constant.

14. 8. As a group, living things change over time
Over many generations, the traits present in a group of living things change
Evolution of humans

15. Test Yourself!
For the following slides, determine which of the 8 characteristics of a living thing that each picture is an example of.