Chapter
1
An Introduction to
the Science of Life
Lecture Presentation
by Wendy Kuntz,
Kapi'olani Community College
© 2017 Pearson Education, Inc.
Chapter 1 An Introduction to the Science of
Life: Module Hyperlinks
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1.1 Properties of life
1.2 Levels of life
1.3 Process of science
1.4 Scientists try to control for variables
1.5 Scientific thinking
1.6 Tables and graphs
1.7 Major themes in biology
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Chapter Table of Contents
1.1 Opening Questions: What are the
properties of life?
Imagine that you are a future explorer and during
a space voyage your team identifies a planet that
has conditions favorable for life. Your first
samples are microscopic, but return some
interesting results, including objects with regular
shapes.
• How would you determine if these objects
were alive?
• What properties would you require before
you were willing to call it life?
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1.1 Biology is the scientific study of life.
• Biologists recognize life
through a series of
properties shared by all
living things.
• Biologists consider an
object to be alive if, and
only if, it displays all of
these properties.
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1.1 Properties of living things.
• Reproduction: All
organisms reproduce
their own kind.
• Growth and
development:
Information carried by
genes controls the
pattern of growth in all
organisms.
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Elephants only give birth to
baby elephants—never baby
lions.
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1.1 Properties of living things.
• Energy use: Every
organism takes in
energy, converts it to
useful forms, and
expels energy.
• Order: Each living
thing has a complex
but well-ordered
structure.
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1.1 Properties of living things.
• Cells: All living organisms consist of cells.
Some living
organisms have
just one cell.
Some living
organisms have
trillions of cells.
The cell is the
fundamental unit of life.
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1.1 Properties of living things.
• Response to the environment:
All organisms respond to changes in the
environment.
Many of these
responses help to
keep an organism’s
internal environment
within narrow limits.
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1.1 Properties of living things.
• Evolution: Individuals with traits that help them
survive and reproduce pass the genes for those
traits to offspring, driving the evolution of
populations.
Elephants and woolly mammoths share a common ancestor.
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1.2 Opening Question: What about a virus?
• Using our criteria for living things, decide
whether a virus is classified as alive.
• Here are some fun facts:
• A virus cannot reproduce
on its own.
• A virus is not composed
of cells.
Would you consider a virus alive?
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1.2 Opening Question: What about a virus?
• Nonliving matter may display some of life’s
properties.
– Viruses show order for
example and can evolve.
• A virus doesn’t have ALL
of the properties of life.
– Viruses do not have cells
and cannot reproduce on
their own.
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A virus is
not alive.
Chapter Table of Contents
1.2 Life can be studied at many levels.
The biosphere
consists of all life
on Earth.
An ecosystem
consists of the living
and nonliving
components.
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1.2 Life can be studied at many levels.
A community consists
of all the interacting
populations in an
ecosystem
A population is a
group of interacting
individuals of one
species.
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1.2 Life can be studied at many levels.
An organism is an
individual living being.
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An organ system is a
group of organs that
work together.
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1.2 Life can be studied at many levels.
An organ consists of multiple
tissues that cooperate to
perform a specific task.
A tissue is an integrated
group of similar cells
that work together.
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1.2 Life can be studied at many levels.
The cell is the fundamental
unit of life.
An organelle is a component
of the cell that performs a
specific function.
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1.2 Life can be studied at many levels.
A molecule is a group of
atoms bonded together.
An atom is the
fundamental unit of
matter.
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1.3 Opening Questions: What is the secret
to the world’s best cookies?
• Are all chocolate chip cookies the same?
How do they differ?
• There are some outstanding chocolate
chip cookies out there! But, what makes a
great cookie?
How do chocolate chip
cookies vary?
Do some taste better
than others?
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1.3 Science begins with observing the
world.
• Scientists learn about the natural world by
making verifiable observations, taking
measurements, and gathering data.
• Observations lead a scientist to ask
questions about the world.
Observation: Some cookies
are better than others.
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1.3 Observations lead to explanations.
• A hypothesis is a proposed explanation
to a question that can be investigated.
• Observations and experimentation are
used to investigate hypotheses.
Question: What recipe
makes the best cookies?
Hypothesis: Switching from
butter to margarine will
improve cookies.
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1.3 Experiments provide data on the validity
of the hypotheses.
• The scientific method
is a series of steps that
can provide insight
about the natural world.
• In reality, real-world
investigations are not
rigidly linear.
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1.3 Hypothesis vs. theory
• A hypothesis is a
proposed explanation
for an observation.
Endosymbiotic hypothesis
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• A theory is a much
broader explanation,
well substantiated and
comprehensive.
Cell theory
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1.4 Opening Questions: How does the term
theory differ in science from everyday use?
• List at least three ways the term “theory” is used
in everyday language. How do those contrast
with the use of theory in scientific language?
Everyday Language:
– Conjecture
– Speculation
– Opinion
Scientific Language:
– Well supported
– Testable ideas
– Objective data
Theory has a specific meaning in science.
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1.4 Scientists try to control for variables.
• In a controlled experiment, a test is run
multiple times with only one variable
changing.
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1.4 Independent vs. dependent variables
• The independent variable is what is
being manipulated as a potential cause.
• The dependent variable is the response,
output, or effect under investigation.
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1.4 A control group establishes a baseline
for an experiment.
• A negative control is a group for which
no change is expected.
– Changing the oven
• A positive control is a group for which a
change is expected.
– Doubling the amount of butter
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1.4 Performing experiments blind can
reduce bias.
• In a blind experiment,
information is withheld
from participants
(single-blind) or from
both participants and
experimenter (doubleblind).
• The placebo effect is a phenomenon in which a
patient feels better after merely believing
treatment was given, even if none actually was
given.
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1.5 Opening questions: What observations
can you make about the natural world?
• You don’t have to travel to an exotic locale
to make observations.
What are two observations about the
natural world that you made on the way
to class today?
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1.5 Scientific thinking can be distinguished
from other ways of viewing the world.
• Science is one way of
knowing the world.
• Science has hallmarks
and limitations.
• Pseudoscience is any
field of study that is
falsely presented as
having a scientific basis.
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1.5 Indicators to recognize pseudoscience
Biology is limited to the study of life through
recognized scientific approaches.
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1.5 The scientific process depends upon
peer review.
• Peer review is the
evaluation of work by
impartial, qualified,
often anonymous
experts who are not
involved in that work.
• Through peer review,
outside authorities
can help verify the
validity of scientific
results.
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1.5 For reliability, consider the source of the
information.
• A primary source is
original material
presented for the first
time by the person
who performed the
research.
• A secondary source
is a description or
review of primary
sources, often
containing
commentary.
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Examples of primary sources are peer-reviewed
journal articles, technical reports, and dissertations
Examples of secondary sources are websites,
books, newspapers, encyclopedias, and magazines.
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1.6 Opening Questions: Which cookie wins?
• As part of a local “bake-off,” 100 students
were asked to taste two cookies and
choose a winner. Is there a clear winner?
Cookie Bake-off
Number of times chosen as winner
100
90
80
70
60
50
40
30
20
10
0
Cookie A
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Cookie B
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1.6 Scientists communicate data using
tables and graphs.
• A scientific table is an
efficient way to
present a lot of data
in a small amount of
space.
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• Graphs are a means
of displaying data
visually, which can
help to summarize
and compare
information.
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1.6 Tables are read in columns and rows.
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1.6 Different graphs are used to present
specific kinds of data.
Line Graph
Bar Graph
Pie Chart
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1.7 Opening Questions: How can we explain
both the unity and diversity of life?
• What are some things that
all living things have in
common?
– Describe as many features
as you can.
• How do living things differ
from each other?
– Describe as many ways as
you can.
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1.7 Major themes underlie the study of
biology at all levels.
• Focusing on these themes helps us organize
and make sense of all the information in biology.
Information Flow
Structure and
function
Evolution
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Interconnections
Energy and
Matter Pathways
Chapter Table of Contents
1.7 The theory of evolution through natural
selection is biology’s unifying theme.
• Evolution, the descent with gradual
modifications of ancestral species to modernday ones, explains the common characteristics
throughout living things.
Evolution through natural
selection helps to explain
the development of
antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
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1.7 Structure and function correlate at all
levels of biological organization.
• Within biological systems, structure (the
shape of something) and function (what it
does) often provide insight into each other.
The millions of tiny sacs in your lungs
provide a structure that correlates with
the function of gas exchange.
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1.7 Living organisms regulate the
transformation of energy and matter.
• All activities of the cell require energy and
matter to proceed.
The sun provides the
energy that drives nearly
every ecosystem.
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1.7 Information flow is apparent at all levels
of biological organization.
• The information in all genes is encoded in
an identical chemical language common to
all organisms.
• Many inherited diseases result from
improper information in the form of a gene
mutation.
People with Parkinson’s disease have
a gene with faulty information.
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1.7 The interconnections within and
between the levels of biological systems
• There are many interconnections within
and between the different levels of
biological systems.
• At each new level, novel properties
emerge that are absent from the preceding
one.
A cell displays as emergent, which is
not apparent in the individual parts that
make up the cell.
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Chapter Table of Contents