biology

• Biology


  The study of life and living things
• Major branches of biology

  • Zoology
  • Botany
• Characteristics of life

  • Homeostasis
  • Organization
  • Reproduction
  • Irritability
  • Metabolism
  • Evolution
  • Growth
• Homeostasis


  Internal balance
• Organization


  Levels of organization from simplest to complex structures
• Reproduction


  Process of creating new "offspring" individual organisms from "parents"
• Irritability


  Ability to respond to various stimuli
• Metabolism


  Sum of chemical activity of all functions
• Evolution


  Change in characteristics of a population over a long period of time due to changes in the environment
• Growth


  Process of changing the size and form of an organism as it matures
• Biomolecules

  • Nucleic acids
  • Proteins
  • Carbohydrates
  • Lipids and fats
• Nucleic acids

  Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)<|>Ribonucleic acid (RNA)
• DNA


  • Double-helix shape
  • Genetic blueprint of an organism
  • Basis for protein production
• DNA nucleotide


  Composed of a deoxyribose sugar, phosphate group, and nucleobase
• DNA nucleobases

  • Purines: Adenine, Guanine
  • Pyrimidines: Thymine, Cytosine
• RNA


  A conjugate of a DNA chain wherein adenine is paired with uracil (U) instead of thymine<|>Version of the DNA used in protein production
• Proteins


  Building blocks of life
• Protein basic unit

  Amino acids (composed of an amino group and a carboxyl group)
• Carbohydrate classification

  • Monosaccharides: Glucose, Fructose, Galactose
  • Disaccharides: Maltose, Sucrose, Lactose
  • Polysaccharides: Starch, Glycogen
• Lipids and fats


  Naturally occurring molecules that are immiscible in water and dissolved only in fat solvents