Basis of Biology

• Life Characteristics: made of cells, reproduce, respond to stimulus, grow/develop, obtain & use energy, adapt, maintain homeostasis, have DNA.
• Homeostasis: the process by which a stable internal environment is maintained despite changes in the external environment.
• Homeostasis is a characteristic of all living things.
• Our body makes adjustments to maintain stable conditions.
• All organisms maintain life differently.
• Lack of homeostasis = disease
• Losing homeostasis for a long time leads to death.
• Homeostasis is maintained with the capability to sense when changes have changed through stimuli and the ability to respond with appropriate adjustments.
• Homeostasis is also known as Dynamic Equilibrium.
• There are 2 types of reactions when conditions fluctuate within an acceptable range, Physiological Response and Behavioral Response.
• Physiological Response: how the body responds to environmental changes.
• Behavioral Response: how the organism chooses to respond to the environment.
• A homeostatic control system has a monitor, coordinating center, and a regulator.
• The monitor detects a change.
• The coordinating center receives/directs a message/response.
• The regulator carries out the response.
• Negative Feedback reverses and returns to previous conditions to maintain homeostasis.
• Positive Feedback continuously increase/decreases.
• Science uses evidence to construct testable explanation and predictions of a natural phenomena.
• Scientific Method is a general style of investigation with observing and asking questions.
• Inferences are a logical interpretation based on what scientists already know.
• A hypothesis is a tentative scientific explanation that can be tested further.
• A hypothesis must be testable and specific.
• The Independent Variable is the 'cause', it can be manipulated, and changed in the experiment. (x-axis)
• The Dependent Variable is the 'effect', it is responded, and what is measured "depending" on what was changed. (y-axis)
• The Independent Variable causes the dependent variable to change.
• Control group - variables that are kept constant.
• Quantitative data are numbers.
• Qualitative data is descriptive.
• Scientific Theories are theories that we cannot test, but they are well-supported and have not been disproven.
• Scientific Explanation: Claim + Evidence + Reasoning = Explanation
• Claim is what do you know?
• Evidence is how do you know that?
• Reasoning is why does your evidence support your claim?