Introduction to Human Biology LECTURE PACKET 1 READING: CHAPTER 1 Outline ▪ Introduction ▪ Class organization, exams, and grading ▪ Basic characteristics of all living things ▪ What is unique about humans ▪ Levels of biological organization ▪ Scientific method Mr. Phung Thai ▪ PhD candidate in Physiology from UC Davis ▪ Studying the heart ▪ First time teaching at NVC Course overview ▪ Bio 105 is an introduction to human biology ▪ In this class, you will learn about the human body and how things in your body function ▪ This is a preparatory class for human anatomy and physiology (A&P) courses ▪ This course will not go into the same amount of detail as the human A&P classes To be successful in this class ▪ Lecture is important, since most of the information that you are required to master is given in lecture ▪ Read the assigned chapter before lecture ▪ Review material after each class, specifically concentrate on the “important concepts” ▪ Make a study guide for yourself from the important concepts after each lecture. Invest time and you will see success Grading ▪ The course will be graded on a straight scale, meaning a 90 and above is an A, 80-90 is a B, 70-80 is a C, etc Grade Percentage A 90+ B 80-90, not including 90 C 70-80, not including 80 D 60-70, not including 70 Point breakdown Assignment How many Total points Midterm 4 125 x 4 = 500 Comprehensive Final Lab Exams 200 2 62.5 x 2 = 125 Pop Quizzes 5-10 Homework 5-10 Lab Participation 5 points/lab Exams ▪ There will be four midterm lecture exams and one comprehensive final exam ▪ There will be two lab practical exams ▪ There will be pop quizzes given. The quizzes will not be announced ahead of time. They will be given at the start of class or lab. There is no make up for missed quizzes ▪ Lecture exams will cover the lectures and reading. Lab exams will cover labs Early exams ▪ If you need to take an exam early, contact me as soon as possible ▪ In order to take an early midterm, you must receive written approval from both the division chair and myself. Early midterms will only be allowed in rare cases ▪ In order to take an early final, you must receive written approval from the Office of Instruction and myself Exams ▪ If you miss any of the exams, you must contact me before the end of the scheduled exam or you will receive a zero for the exam Missed exams ▪ If you miss an exam, and you have contacted me before the start of the exam with a documented medical excuse, you may take a make up exam ▪ The make up exam will be given the last week of class. This is the week before finals ▪ No make ups for the final or for the lab practicals Lab practicals ▪ There will be two exams given in the laboratory ▪ You CANNOT make up a missed lab exam ▪ Attendance and participation in the labs will, in part, be used to evaluate a student whose grade is on the border between two grades ▪ Occasionally, laboratory time may be used to cover lecture material that will be covered in the class lecture exam Lab ▪ You are expected to read and print out the lab handouts for the labs before coming to labs ▪ There may be pop quizzes at the start of the labs to test your knowledge of the labs prior to the start of the labs Accommodations ▪ Learn or physical disabilities ▪ Campus resources ▪ Learning services – Library 1766 ▪ Phone: 256-7442 ▪ Counseling – 1300 Building ▪ Phone: 256-7220 ▪ Ask me if you have any questions ▪ Authorization from DSPS is required before any accommodation can be made Appropriate Behavior ▪ No food or drinks in the labs ▪ Follow safety guidelines ▪ Electronic communication devices need to be turned off, or put away ▪ During exams, these devices must be turned off, in your backpacks, and at the front of the classroom ▪ Professional conduct is expected ▪ Disruptive/rude behavior will not be tolerated ▪ Discrimination or harassment is not allowed Cheating ▪ Cheating will not be tolerated ▪ If you cheat, you will receive a zero for the exam, an official report will be submitted to the VP of Student Services ▪ During exams, all backpacks, bags, phones, notes, jackets, hats, etc will be left at the front of the class. If you have notes or a cell phone with you at your desk during an exam, you will receive a zero for that exam How many midterm lecture exams are there? 1. 2. 3. 4. One Two Three Four Is the final comprehensive? 1. Yes 2. No Can you take an exam early? 1. Yes 2. No 3. Yes, if you contact me early Can you take an exam late? 1. Yes 2. No 3. Yes, if you contact me before the scheduled exam When can you take the make up exam? 1. As soon as you can 2. At an arranged time 3. The last week of class Can you make up missed quizzes? 1. Yes 2. No 3. Yes, with a medical excuse Chapter 1 Outline ▪ Basic characteristics of all living things ▪ Evolution: a unifying theme in biology ▪ Levels of biological organization ▪ Scientific method Characteristics of life 1. Living things contain nucleic acids, proteins, carbohydrates, and lipids. Characteristics of life 2. They are composed of cells - Cells are the smallest unit of life - Some organisms are composed of only one cell (unicellular) - Others are composed of more than one (multicellular) Characteristics of life 3. Grow and reproduce - Some organisms may reproduce by making the exact copy of themselves (i.e. bacteria) - Others reproduce by combining genetic material with another Characteristics of life 4. Use energy and raw materials - Metabolism is all the chemical reactions that occur in a living organism - Organisms acquire energy from nutrients (food) through metabolism, and use this energy for growth and reproduction Characteristics of life 5. Respond to their environment - They detect a stimulus and respond accordingly (i.e. touching a hot stove) Characteristics of life 6. Maintain homeostasis - Homeostasis is the relatively constant and self-correcting internal environment of a living organism - For example, body temperature is 37 degrees Celsius, or 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit Characteristics of life 7. Populations of living things evolve and have adaptive traits - Natural selection: Reproducing organisms with beneficial genetic traits for the environment will survive and reproduce better than organisms that don’t possess these traits - In an environment, the organisms will have adaptive traits, or traits that would help the organisms survive and reproduce Which of the following is not necessarily a characteristic of life? 1. 2. 3. 4. Respond to environmental changes Cellular Multicellular Reproduction Levels of Biological Organization 1. Atom 3. Organelle 5. Tissue 6. Organ System 7. Population 9. Ecosystem 2. Molecule 4. Cell 5. Organ 7. Organism 8. Community 10. Biosphere Levels of Biological Organization: Atom ▪ Atoms are units of matter (anything that takes up space and mass) that cannot be broken down into simpler substances by ordinary chemical means. ▪ An element is a pure form of matter containing only one kind of atom. Levels of Biological Organization: Molecule ▪ A molecule is two or more atoms bonded together. - Example: water (H2O) Levels of Biological Organization: Organelle ▪ An organelle is a membrane-bound internal compartment in cells for specialized functions. - Example: Mitochondrion Source: Qiagen Levels of Biological Organization: Cell ▪ The cell is the smallest unit with the capacity to live and reproduce independently or as part of a muticelled organism. - Example: Endothelial cell Levels of Biological Organization: Tissue ▪ Tissue is a group of similar cells that perform the same function. - Example: Endothelial layer Levels of Biological Organization: Organ ▪ An organ is a structure with two or more tissues working together to perform a function. Levels of Biological Organization: Organ System ▪ An organ system involves at least two organs working together to perform a function. - Digestive System (stomach, small intestine, large intestine, etc) Levels of Biological Organization: Multi-Celled Organism ▪ Individual consisting of interdependent cells typically organized in tissues, organs, and organ system. - Example: Humans ▪ This class will focus up to multi-celled organisms. You still need to know the definitions of the other levels of biological organization. Levels of Biological Organization ▪ Population: All individuals of the same species in an area. - Example: Humans living in Napa ▪ Community: All the species in an ecosystem that can interact. - Example: All the species including plants and animals ▪ Ecosystem: A community and its physical environment - Example: All the species in Napa, including the water, soil, sunlight, etc. ▪ Biosphere: The part of the earth that supports life. Levels of Biological Organization: Review Levels of Biological Organization: Review Organ Systems Taxonomy ▪ Biologists like to classify things and put them in categories. ▪ One way to divide them is into domains. Domains ▪ There are three domains: 1. Domain Bacteria: Unicellular, prokaryotic organisms (lack a nucleus) 2. Domain Archaea: Unicellular, prokaryotic organisms. Most live in extreme environments. 3. Domain Eukarya: Eukaryotic cells (contain nucleus) that contain a membrane bound nucleus and internal compartments. Domain Eukarya ▪ There are four kingdoms in Domain Eukarya. 1. Protists (unicellular organisms with a nucleus) - Examples: Protozoans, algae, diatoms 2. Fungi - Examples: Mushrooms and molds 3. Plants - Examples: Mosses, ferns, seed plants 4. Animals - Examples: Invertebrates and vertebrates (animals with a nerve cord protected by a backbone) Domains: Review The Scientific Method ▪ The scientific method is a way of learning about the natural world by applying certain rules of logic to the way information is gathered and conclusions are drawn. 1. Observe some aspect of biology. 2. Investigate what others have found (go to the library, read research articles). 3. Develop a testable hypothesis—an educated guess to explain an observation, used to make a prediction. The Scientific Method 4. Design and perform experiments to test your predictions. 5. Repeat experiments. 6. Analyze data. 7. Draw conclusions. 8. Report the method, data, results, and conclusions. Experimental Design ▪ Investigate and search available databases to find out what other scientists have done, how they did their research, and what their results were like. ▪ Then formulate something that hasn’t be done before. ▪ Design the experiment to test one variable at a time. ▪ A variable is something that is changed to see how that change affects the study. Experimental Design: Variable ▪ A variable is something that is changed to see how that change affects the study. Examples: - Add artificial sweetener to diet - Use fertilizer on plants - Feed oatmeal to humans ▪ Constants: All the factors that are kept the same in the experiment. Experimental Design: Control ▪ Set up a control group which is identical to the experimental group, except without the one variable being tested. ▪ Repeat the experiment to get statistically significant data. Example ▪ Hypothesis: Artificial sweeteners are safe to eat. ▪ The researchers chose the mouse as a model to test the safety of the additive. Clinical Trials ▪ Experiments that deal with medicine or other materials used by humans are first tested on laboratory animals. ▪ If these tests go well, then the first clinical trials begin using humans, all of whom must provide informed consent to participate in these studies. Clinical Trials Clinical Trials ▪ Consist of several experimental groups that receive different dosages of the drug, and a control group that receives a placebo. The placebo is supposed to have no effect. ▪ It is absolutely important that both groups are treated identically except for one variable. The Scientific Method ▪ A double blind study occurs when neither researchers nor participants know which group is receiving the treatment. - Sometimes the fact that the researcher knows who is getting the treatment can give away information, so this study eliminates this possibility. The Scientific Method ▪ Epidemiological studies (data from populations that were exposed to a variable) - Look for patterns that occur in populations - Example: smokers vs nonsmokers Does Smoking Cause Cancer ▪ One way to study this question is to look at epidemiology evidence. - Look at cancer rates over time, correlate cancer rates with events and changes that also occur during that period.
