...Biology From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia For other uses, see Biology (disambiguation). Biology deals with the study of the many varieties of living organisms. Clockwise from top left: Salmonella typhimurium, Phascolarctos cinereus, Athyrium filix-femina, Amanita muscaria, Agalychnis callidryas, and Brachypelma smithi Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy.[1] Biology is a vast subject containing many subdivisions, topics, and disciplines. Among the most important topics are five unifying principles that can be said to be the fundamental axioms of modern biology:[2] 1. Cells are the basic unit of life 2. New species and inherited traits are the product of evolution 3. Genes are the basic unit of heredity 4. An organism regulates its internal environment to maintain a stable and constant condition 5. Living organisms consume and transform energy. Subdisciplines of biology are recognized on the basis of the scale at which organisms are studied and the methods used to study them: biochemistry examines the rudimentary chemistry of life; molecular biology studies the complex interactions of systems of biological molecules; cellular biology examines the basic building block of all life, the cell; physiology examines the physical and chemical functions of the tissues, organs, and organ systems of an organism; and ecology...
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...Discuss the issues related to genetic diversity: mutations, sexual reproduction, migration, and population size What is genetic diversity? Genetic diversity refers to the total number of genetic characteristics in the genetic makeup of a species. “High genetic diversity indicates many different kinds of alleles for each characteristic, and low genetic diversity indicates that nearly all the individuals in the population have the same alleles”. There are certain issues related to genetic diversity which include mutations, sexual reproduction, migration, and population size. Mutations are stable changes in the DNA sequence of a gene. Mutations can be caused by many different things. They can be caused by radiation. They can also be induced by the organism itself. Mutations happen naturally when genes have dysfunctions. Modifications in DNA caused by mutations can cause errors in protein sequence, creating partially or completely non-functional proteins. “Many mutations are harmful, but very rarely one will occur that is valuable to the organism”. Sexual reproduction is the formation of a new individual following the union of two gametes. These gametes have specific needs. A gamete has to meet and unite together. They also must have food to nourish the developing embryo. “The new member may have a unique combination of characteristics so superior to those of the other members of the population that the new member will be much more successful in producing offspring”. “Migration...
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...dynamics involved in interspecific relationships in communities and ecosystems. After completing a semester of this lab, students should be able to: • Describe the process of evolution and the processes that shape the distribution and dynamics of ecological systems. • Analyze and display data using Microsoft Excel and appropriate statistical tests. • Generate and test hypotheses using the scientific method and careful laboratory techniques. • Select relevant primary literature on a given topic and integrate information from multiple primary sources into a written scientific lab report, using appropriate citations. • Conduct an experiment, collect and analyze data, and write a scientific lab report according to the conventions of biology, using a process of staged writing and revisions. Texts: McMillan, V. E. 2012. Writing in the Biological Sciences, 5th ed. Bedford/St. Martin’s Press: Boston. Readings as assigned from the lecture text - Freeman et al., 2014. Biological Science, 5th ed. All lab handouts and other readings as appropriate for particular labs, which will be posted on Blackboard. Overview: The lab is designed to complement the lecture with hand-on exercises. In general, lab activities will cover information that you will have learned previously. However, out of necessity we will occasionally cover material in lab before we cover it in lecture. The lab material will do more than simply reiterate lecture information. It should allow you to apply...
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...Art of Appreciation | Overview of Evolution | Devonte McLean | Why are we here? How are we here? What can account for the broad diversity of life we see around us every day? These are the questions people have been asking for thousands of years. It has been recently that science was sophisticated enough for us to be able to find the real answer. Anyone can tell you that the currently accepted explanation is the Theory of Evolution. In the early 19th century, the Theory of Evolution was being formed in the minds of many scientists but it was first given voice by Charles Darwin in his Origin of Species. He proposed that a process called natural selection acts on random variation within a species to cause only the most fit of that species to survive and leave fertile offspring. Natural Selection is a process that chooses specific individuals based on their characteristics, by allowing them to survive and multiply, less suited individuals die out. Over time, only a certain amount of organisms most suited to their environment survive, and organisms become more and more specialized. Darwin's theory was failing at the time of its broadcast as being an excellent explanation for the diversity of living things on our planet. Generally, the only opposition to the Theory of Evolution came from religious circles who believed that the world was created in six days and all the animals and plants were created exactly as we see them. While many scientists in the public stuck to their...
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...This is an annotated list of biological websites, including only notable websites dealing with biology generally and those with a more specific focus. Actionbioscience -- sponsored by the American Institute of Biological Sciences (AIBS) -- providing articles by scientists, science educators, and science students on issues related to seven bioscience challenges: environment, biodiversity, genomics, biotechnology, evolution, new frontiers in science, and bioscience education Animal Diversity Web -- created by the staff at the Museum of Zoology at the University of Michigan -- collecting the natural history, classification, species characteristics, conservation biology, and distribution information of thousands of species of animals Animal Genome Size Database -- created by Dr. T. Ryan Gregory of the University of Guelph in Canada -- publishing genome size estimates for vertebrate and invertebrate animals Animal Science Image Gallery -- a work of the United States Federal Government -- containing images, animations, and video for classroom and outreach learning Bioinformatic Harvester -- a bioinformatic meta search engine at KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology -- working for human, mouse, rat, zebrafish, drosophila and arabidopsis thaliana information Catalogue of Life -- compiled with sectors provided by 52 taxonomic databases from around the world -- planned to become a comprehensive catalogue of all known species of organisms on Earth Earth...
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...Natural Selection Christine D. Bacon Abstract: There are factors in nature that determine whether or not an organism can live in certain environments and consequently, these same factors can lead to population decline and further extinction. With this information can, and how, do organisms adapt to their environments? Students will form hypotheses about processes of natural selection and expand with a discussion of what controls natural populations. The concept will be introduced using two islands with the same populations. Our study will test which species will experience extinction. Using various types of beans, students will test which kinds (species) are able to pass through their "time tunnel", a container with a hole in the bottom. Data collection and graphing will also be an emphasis of this laboratory exercise, enabling projection of ebbs and flows of ancient and future populations. Grade Level(s): 7th Objectives: • Form hypotheses, test, graph, and analyze results • Understand the process of natural selection and what may control populations, including the concepts of adaptation and extinction • Enforce reading skills of cause and effect though identifying factors that cause natural selection • Improve map interpretation skills by following the voyage of the HMS Beagle on a world map • Refine data collection strategies and management • Explore appropriateness of graphs National Standards: Standard A: Science as...
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...Essay Questions 1. There are many reasons how human activities can lead to an imbalance of biochemical cycling, anything that the natural environment is not familiar with can damage or throw off biochemical balance. One of the negative impacts of eutrophication and increased algae growth is a loss of available oxygen, known a s anoxia. These anoxic conditions can kill fish and other aquatic organisms such as amphibians. However, how does eutrophication actually lower oxygen levels when it is common knowledge algae produce oxygen, but only when there is enough light. Eutrophication reduces the clarity of water and underwater light. In eutrophic lakes, algae are starved for light. When algae don’t have enough light they stop producing oxygen and start consuming it. 2. Opportunistic species use the “R-strategy”, where R= the species’ intrinsic rate of increase. They produce millions of eggs and sperm since only a small percent will actually meet, join, and become offspring. Examples are most insects, and corals, barnacles, clams, scallops and oysters, who spawn and fertilize their eggs in the water. Opportunistic species are often the first to colonize a new environment and their population growth is often exponential. They tend to “crash” when they run out of food, space, oxygen, sunlight, or whatever the limiting factor is in that environment. Equilibrium species use the “K-strategy”, where K= the carrying capacity of the environment. These species produce much fewer...
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...1. Explain how human activities can cause an imbalance in biogeochemical cycling and lead to problems such as cultural eutrophication and fish kills? Well there could be many reasons on how human activities can lead to an imbalance of biochemical cycling. Like anything that the natural environment is not familiar with can throw off the balance. One of the negative eutrophication is a loss of available oxygen known as anoxia. The conditions can kill fish and other aquatic organisms such as amphibians. 2. Compare and contrast the traits and growth patterns of opportunistic versus equilibrium populations. Provide one example of each. Opportunistic species use the “r-strategy”. “r” is the species instrinsic rate of increase. They produce millions of eggs and sperm since only a small percent will then meet, join and become actual offspring. Example : most insects, corals , scallops , oysters and clams that fertilize their eggs in the water. Opportunistic species are often the first to colonize a new environment and their population growth is exponential. Equilibrium species use the “k-strategy”, “k” is the carrying capacity of the environment. They produce fewer offspring and take care of them in other ways. Example: birds, mammals, and some live bearing fish. 3. Compare and contrast indirect versus direct values of biodiversity and also provide examples: biodiversity provides indirect benefits to human beings which support the existence of biological life and other benefits...
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...Lecture 01 Nature & Scope of Biological Science What is Biology? A brief history. Biology today. Group of organisms being studied. Approach taken to the study of organisms. New definition of Biology. Why study Biology? Aspects of Science Science has two aspects. It is both (1) a body of knowledge and (2) a method used for discovering new knowledge. What is biology? The word biology comes from the Greek words bios, which means life, and logos, which means thought. Thus, biology is the science that deals with the study of life. Origin of Life |According to this theory, about 15 billion years ago (15,000,000,000) the Universe was nothing more than a very small speck of mass. This speck| |was probably no bigger than the head of a pin. Everything in the Universe, all the galaxies, stars, planets, and even the matter making up your| |body, was squished up tightly in this tiny space. | |Eventually, after a very long time, this speck exploded. All of a sudden, in a giant flash of unimaginable heat and power, the Universe was | |born. Over a period of billions and billions of years, the Universe became what we see today. Slowly stars began to form, and around these | |stars planets formed. | |About 4.6 billion years ago our Earth looked very different...
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...Branches of biology * Aerobiology – the study of airborne organic particles * Agriculture – the study of producing crops from the land, with an emphasis on practical applications * Anatomy – the study of form and function, in plants, animals, and other organisms, or specifically in humans * Arachnology – the study of arachnids * Astrobiology – the study of evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe—also known as exobiology, exopaleontology, and bioastronomy * Biochemistry – the study of the chemical reactions required for life to exist and function, usually a focus on the cellular level * Bioengineering – the study of biology through the means of engineering with an emphasis on applied knowledge and especially related to biotechnology * Biogeography – the study of the distribution of species spatially and temporally * Bioinformatics – the use of information technology for the study, collection, and storage of genomic and other biological data * Biomathematics (or Mathematical biology) – the quantitative or mathematical study of biological processes, with an emphasis on modeling * Biomechanics – often considered a branch of medicine, the study of the mechanics of living beings, with an emphasis on applied use through prosthetics or orthotics * Biomedical research – the study of the human body in health and disease * Biophysics – the study of biological processes through physics, by applying the theories and methods...
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...Assignment 1: Biology Article Cinthya Jacobo Professor: Dr. Francie Coblentz Introduction to Biology: SCI115 11/08/2015 The article “Therapeutic Cloning, and stem cell Research” by Gena Smith is about how we can extract stem cells from replicated human embryos and use them for medical and therapeutic purposes. The stems cells are perfect because they are what the article calls “master cells” which with the help of science, can be manipulated to become anything from brain cells to kidney cells. The article also revolves around the amount of controversy over the issue of cloning. The article mostly reviews the medical side of cloning rather than the reproduction side which can one day lead to the cloning of individual people. The article has high hopes for the potential use of cloning stating that “Down the road, scientists believe it will be possible to create complicated structures such as blood vessels, liver tissue, and whole kidneys. In fact, ACT scientists have already succeeded in building tiny cow kidneys that could be used for kidney transplants. It isn't hard to envision, Lanza says, a future where pretty much any kind of organ or tissue could be engineered to replace those damaged by age, injury, or disease.” Overall, this new study of cloning could help clone new body tissues which can help regulate, maintain and potentially replace importance body organs that could then lead to the salvation of millions of lives. According to an article by Norwegian University...
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...Branches of Biology Biology, the study of life, has many aspects to it and many specializations within this broad field. Below is an alphabetical list of many of the branches of biology. Agriculture - study of producing crops from the land, with an emphasis on practical applications Anatomy - the study of the animal form, with an emphasis on human bodies Biochemistry - the study of the chemical reactions required for life to exist and function, usually a focus on the cellular level Bioengineering - the study of biology through the means of engineering with an emphasis on applied knowledge and especially related to biotechnology. Bioinformatics - also classified as a branch of information technology (IT) it is the study, collection, and storage of genomic data Biomathematics or Mathematical Biology - the study of biological processes through mathematics, with an emphasis on modeling. Biomechanics - often considered a branch of medicine, the study of the mechanics of living beings, with an emphasis on applied use through artificial limbs, etc. Biophysics - the study of biological processes through physics, by applying the theories and methods traditionally used in the physical sciences Biotechnology - a new and sometimes controversial branch of biology that studies the manipulation of living matter, including genetic modification Botany - the study of plants Cell Biology - the study of the cell as a complete unit, and the molecular and chemical interactions...
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...Running Head: Biology Article 05/14th/2015 Experimental Biology SCI 115 Pamela Anderson Professor: Maria E. Monzon-Medina DUE 05/14th/2015 BIOLOGY ARTICLE Introduction Several lines of evidence support the claims surrounding the knowledge of biology. To begin I will discuss experimenting of drugs and other forms of biology linking to different topic on experiment. Then to discuss the history that link with the 17th century thinker. After that I will explain the three basic assumptions or principles of biology. BIOLOGY ARTICLE Experimental Biology This claim surrounding the knowledge of biology, is to begin with experimenting on different form of living things using drugs and other ways to test, our ideas, according to scientific principle on one occasion people have been engaging in experiment for as long as we are learning to eat and develop life saving drugs and medical treatment. Identifying the toxic chemical in our environment and food supply lab works is made evident to support research of modern lives (extracted from biology article 2013 ) this article relate to this course in many form. E.G. Biology dealt with plant, animals and human which is the component of biology it also dealt with research and experiment. In biology today book there is a subtopic evolution of diseases it explain how micro organism existed for many years it also explain the deference between pathogen and armless. (Star 2013). BIOLOGY ARTICLE History of...
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...including their structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy.[1] Modern biology is a vast and eclectic field, composed of manybranches and subdisciplines. However, despite the broad scope of biology, there are certain general and unifying concepts within it that govern all study and research, consolidating it into single, coherent fields. In general, biology recognizes the cell as the basic unit of life, genes as the basic unit of heredity, and evolution as the engine that propels the synthesis and creation of new species. It is also understood today that all organisms survive by consuming and transforming energy and by regulating their internal environment to maintain a stable and vital condition. Subdisciplines of biology are defined by the scale at which organisms are studied, the kinds of organisms studied, and the methods used to study them: biochemistry examines the rudimentary chemistry of life; molecular biologystudies the complex interactions among biological molecules; botany studies the biology of plants; cellular biologyexamines the basic building-block of all life, the cell; physiology examines the physical and chemical functions oftissues, organs, and organ systems of an organism; evolutionary biology examines the processes that produced the diversity of life; and ecology examines how organisms interact in their environment.[2] HistoryThe term biology is derived from the Greek word βίος, bios, "life" and the suffix -λογία, -logia, "study of."[3][4] The...
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...Associate Level Material Appendix B Fundamentals of Biology Worksheet You are beginning a journey in the world of biology. Completing this worksheet will prepare you with the background knowledge necessary for understanding this world! What Are the Major Theories of Biology? The major theories of biology have been tested over years and provide information helping you to understand the science of biology. For each theory, list the name of the person or persons known for scientifically testing each theory, the approximate date they experimented with the theory, and a sentence or two to describe the theory. Bioenergetics: Antoine-Laurent Lavoisier Late 18th century Chemistry of Life was placed in a context of a larger understanding of chemistry and energetic. Biological classification: Carolus Linneaus late 18th century Organisms are classified according to their similarities and differences. Cells: Matthias Schleiden and Theodor Schwann beginning of the 17th century All organisms are made of cells and all cells are made of preexisting cells. Ecosystems: no identifiable parent but a group of people- 20th century Organisms interact with each other and other things in their environment and changes in their environment change other things as well. Everything works together to keep that environment going right. Evolution by natural selection: Charles Darwin- mid 19th century Species are able to evolve over time and only the strongest will...
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