Chapter 1: The Study of Life
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO BIOLOGY
SECTION 2: THE NATURE OF SCIENCE
SECTION 3: METHODS OF SCIENCE
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Section 1: All living things share the characteristics of
life.
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Section 2: Science is a process based on inquiry that
develops explanations.
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Section 3: Biologists use specific methods when
conducting research.
Essential Questions

What is biology?

What are possible benefits of studying biology?
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What are the characteristics of living things?
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What are the characteristics of scientific inquiry?
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What are the differences between science and pseudoscience?

Why is scientific literacy important?

What are the differences between an observation and an inference?

What are the differences among a control, independent variable, and dependent variable?

What are the scientific methods a biologist uses for research?
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Why are the metric system and SI important?
Vocabulary
Review
New continued
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environment
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investigation
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theory
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New
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biology
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organism
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organization
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growth
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development
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reproduction
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species
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stimulus
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response
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homeostasis
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adaptation
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science
theory
law
peer review
ethics
observation
inference
scientific method
hypothesis
experiment
control group
experimental group
independent variable
dependent variable
constant
data
metric system
SI
Introduction to Biology
SECTION 1
Main Idea
All living things share the characteristics of life
K
What I Know
W
What I Want to Find Out
L
What I Learned
Essential Questions

What is biology?

What are possible benefits of studying biology?

What are the characteristics of living things?
Vocabulary
Review
environment
New
biology
organism
organization
growth
development
reproduction
species
stimulus
response
homeostasis
adaptation
science
???

Biology comes from the Greek bio, meaning “life”, and from logos, meaning
“study”
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Whenever you see –ology, it means “the study of”
In Biology we study:
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The origins and history of life, both past and present
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The structures of living things
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How living things interactive with one another
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How living things function
A biologist does what???
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Study the diversity of life
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Research diseases – medical biologist
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Develop and refine technologies - biotechnology
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Improve agriculture
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Preserve the environment
Characteristics of Life
Organisms had or have all of the characteristics of life (8 Total):
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1. Made of one or more cells
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Cells are the basic unit of all living things – the building blocks
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One cell = unicellular; more than one cell = multicellular
2. Displays organization
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They arrange in an orderly way
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Unicellular contain organized functional structures and often work together; multicellular have
specialized cells organized into tissues, tissues organized into organ, organs organized into organ
systems that work together to support life
3. Grows and develops
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Most everything starts as a single cell
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Mass is then added (usually by added new cells) through cell growth, and have natural changes
over organism’s lifetime that is called development
4. Reproduces
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Make offspring!
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Species are organisms that can breed to produce fertile offspring
Characteristics of Life, cont.
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5. Responds to stimuli
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6. Requires energy
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Food provides energy
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Most plants use light energy from the Sum to make their own (photosynthesis);
organisms that don’t make their own get it by consuming others (that leads back to
something that does)
7. Maintains homeostasis

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Stimuli = anything that causes a reaction (response) by the organism
A balance and regulation of internal conditions
8. Adaptations evolve over time
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= inherited characteristic that allows species to survive more efficiently
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Usually caused by a change in environment
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BNTSG Biodiversity Full episode
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Characteristics of Life - good video
Match the correct scenario to its
corresponding characteristic of
life
Characteristic of Life
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Responds to stimuli
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Maintains homeostasis
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Scenario

A cheetah responds to the
need for food by chasing a
gazelle. The gazelle
responds by running away.
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Adaptations evolve over
time
Many organisms need to
take in food, like us; but
some make their own.

Humans perspire to prevent
their body temperature from
rising too high.
Requires energy

Tropical orchids have roots
that are adapted to life in a
soil-less environment.
Review – Did I get it?
•
Are you able to answer this section’s questions? (from beginning of section
notes)
•
Are you comfortable with the vocabulary words from this section?
•
Fill in your KWL
The Nature of Science
SECTION 2
Main Idea
Science is a process based on inquiry that develops explanations
K
What I Know
W
What I Want to Find Out
L
What I Learned
Essential Questions

What are the characteristics of scientific inquiry?

What are the differences between science and pseudoscience?

Why is scientific literacy important?
Vocabulary
Review
Investigation
New
Science
Theory
Law
Peer Review
Ethics
What is S C I E N C E ???
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Science is a body of knowledge based on the study of nature.
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The nature or essential characteristics, of science is scientific
inquiry.
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Scientific inquiry is both a creative process and a process
rooted in unbiased observations and experimentation.
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BNTSG Play until 3:00
What is S C I E N C E ???
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A theory is an explanation of a natural phenomenon supported
by many observations and experiments over time.
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A scientific law describes relationships under certain conditions
in nature, but does not explain why the relationship is the way it
is.
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Theories do not become laws and laws do not become
theories.
Make observations and draw conclusions
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Scientists choose subjects to study and decide what types of
data to collect.
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They analyze the data collected and draw conclusions.
Expands knowledge
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Scientific explanations combine what is already known with
evidence from additional observations and experiments.
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Driven by the search for new knowledge
Constantly reevaluate what is known
Pseudosciences imitate science
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Driven by cultural or commercial goal
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Alchemy
New questions and additional research are not welcomed
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THE EARTH IS FLAT! THE SUN ORBITS THE EARTH!
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Psuedoscience - BNTSG Full episode
Challenge accepted theories
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Scientists welcome debate about one another’s ideas.
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Sciences advance by accommodating new information as it is
discovered
Challenge accepted theories
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In science, observations or data that are not consistent with
current scientific understanding are of interest.
These inconsistencies often lead to further investigations.
In pseudoscience, inconsistencies are discarded, or even
ignored
Test Claims
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Scientists use standard experimental procedures.
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Their claims based on a large amount of data and observations
obtained from unbiased investigations and carefully controlled
experimentation.
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Pseudoscientists make claims that cannot be tested, or are a
mixture of fact and opinion.
Undergoes peer review
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Before it is made public, science-based information is reviewed
by scientists’ peers.
Peer review is a process by which the procedures used during
an experiment and the results are evaluated by other scientists
who are in the same field or who are conducting similar
research.
Science literacy
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A person who is scientifically literate combines a basic
understanding of science and its processes with reasoning and
thinking skills.
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Ethics is a set of moral principles or values.
Review – Did I get it?
•
Are you able to answer this section’s questions? (from beginning of section
notes)
•
Are you comfortable with the vocabulary words from this section?
•
Fill in your KWL
Methods of Science
SECTION 3
Main Idea
Biologists use specific methods when conducting research
K
What I Know
W
What I Want to Find Out
L
What I Learned
Essential Questions

What are the differences between an observation and an inference?

What are the differences among a control, independent variable, and
dependent variable?

What are the scientific methods a biologist uses for research?

Why are the metric system and SI important?
Vocabulary
Review
Theory
New
Observation
Inference
Scientific method
Experiment
Control group
Experimental group
Independent variable
Dependent variable
Constant
Data
Metric system
SI
Science literacy
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Scientific inquiry begins with observation.
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Scientific inquiry involves asking questions and processing
information from a variety of reliable sources.
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The process of combining what you know with what you have
learned to draw logical conclusions is called inferring; the
conclusions themselves are called inferences.
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The methods scientists use to gather data and answer
questions are referred to as scientific methods.
Scientific Method
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Scientific Method is a
step-by-step organized
plan for gathering,
organizing, and
communicating
information.
STEPS
1. Make Observation
2. Ask Question
3. Develop Hypothesis
4. Experiment (include
variables)
5. Analyze Data and Draw
Conclusions
- State if hypothesis is
supported or not
supported
6. Develop Theory
Scientific Method Detailed
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1&2. Making observations - Information that you obtain
from your senses that provides you with a question
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3. Develop a hypothesis 
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Hypothesis – A proposed answer to a question.
It’s used to answer questions raised by one of your
observations. In order for a hypothesis to be useful, it
must be testable.
Scientific Method
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4. Experiment or Testing a Hypothesis – Scientists perform
experiments to test a hypothesis. In an experiment, any
factor that can change is called a variable.
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Variable- variable that causes change in another variable
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Manipulated variable or independent variable- variable that
causes a change in another variable.
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Responding variable or dependent variable- variable that
changes in response to the manipulated variable.
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Controlled experiment- An experiment in which only one
variable, the manipulated variable, is deliberately changed at a
time. The responding variable is observed for changes, all
other variables are kept constant, or controlled.
5. Analyze Data and Draw Conclusions – See if your data
from you experiment supports your hypothesis. If it does
not, you must revise your hypothesis, or propose a new
one. Then you must design a new experiment.
Variables explanation
HTTP://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=WEU4IMV0YLC
HTTPS://WWW.YOUTUBE.COM/WATCH?V=HXBZ656EUYW
Come up with 2 example scenarios
and identify their dependent and
independent variables
Scientific Method
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6. Developing a Theory- Once a hypothesis has been
supported in repeated experiments, scientists can
begin to develop a theory.
SI Units of Measure

All measurements need a number and a unit.
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Example: 5 ft 3 in
or
25ºF

The metric system uses units with divisions that are
powers of ten (used in most of the world besides us – use
the imperial system

Scientists usually do not use these units. They use a unit
of measure called SI or International System of Units.

Base Units – more examples on following slide
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Length- straight line distance between 2 points is the meter (m)
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Mass- quantity of matter in an object or sample is the kilogram
(kg)
The International System of
Units
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Organizing Data

Scientists can organize their data by
using data tables and graphs

Data table- the simplest way to organize
data. The table shows two variables - a
manipulated variable and the
responding variable.
 Line
graph

Line graphs are useful for showing changes that occur in related variables.
It shows the manipulated variable on the x-axis and the responding variable
on the y-axis.
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Slope- (steepness) The ratio of a vertical change to the corresponding
horizontal change.
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Slope = Rise
Run
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Rise represents the change in the y-variable
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Run represents the corresponding change in the x-variable.
Direct proportionRelationship in which the
ratio of the two variables is
constant.
Inverse proportionRelationship in which the
product of the two variables
is constant.

Bar graphs and pie or circle graphs can also be used to display
data.
Review – Did I get it?
•
Are you able to answer this section’s questions? (from beginning of section
notes)
•
Are you comfortable with the vocabulary words from this section?
•
Fill in your KWL