What is biology?

The study of life.

What are the major properties of life?

Organization, response to stimuli, reproduction, growth/development, regulation, homeostasis, energy processing, and adaptation/evolution.

What is homeostasis?

Maintaining stable internal conditions.

What is the smallest unit of life?

Cell

What is a tissue?

A group of similar cells performing the same function.

What is an organ?

Different tissues working together for a common function.

What is an organ system?

Functionally related organs working together.

What is an organism?

An individual living thing.

What is a population?

Individuals of the same species living in the same area.

What is a community?

Different populations living in the same area.

What is an ecosystem?

Living organisms plus the nonliving environment in an area.

What is the biosphere?

All ecosystems on Earth.

Biological organization, smallest → largest?

Atom → molecule → organelle → cell → tissue → organ → organ system → organism → population → community → ecosystem → biosphere.

What is evolution?

Gradual change in populations over generations.

What is a phylogenetic tree?

A diagram showing evolutionary relationships among organisms.

What did Carl Linnaeus contribute?

Biological classification and binomial nomenclature.

What is binomial nomenclature?

Two-part scientific naming system: genus + species.

8 levels of taxonomy?

Domain → Kingdom → Phylum → Class → Order → Family → Genus → Species.

Taxonomy memory trick?

Dear King Philip Came Over For Good Soup.

What is a natural science?

Science that studies the physical/natural world and its processes.

What is a hypothesis?

A testable suggested explanation for an observation/event.

What does falsifiable mean?

Capable of being disproven by evidence.

Basic scientific-method sequence?

Observation → question → hypothesis → prediction → experiment → results → conclusion.

What is inductive reasoning?

A way of thinking where you look at specific examples or patterns and form a general conclusion

What is deductive reasoning?

General rule-specific fact-specific conclusion

What is a scientific theory?

A thoroughly tested and well-supported explanation.

What is a scientific law?

A description of a consistent behavior/pattern in nature, often mathematical.

What is a variable?

Something that can change during an experiment.

What is a control?

The unchanged/comparison part of an experiment.

What is basic science?

Research intended to expand knowledge.

What is applied science?

Research intended to solve practical problems.

Prokaryote vs. eukaryote?

Prokaryote: no nucleus/membrane-bound organelles. Eukaryote: has them.

What is peer review?

Other scientists evaluate scientific work before publication.