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Chapter 1 - Introduction: Themes in the Study of Life

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TERM
DEFINITION
EVOLUTION   descent with modification; the idea that living species are descendants of ancestral species that were different from the present-day ones; also defined more narrowly as the change in the genetic composition of a population from generation to generation  
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BIOLOGY   the scientific study of life  
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EMERGENT PROPERTIES   new properties that arise with each step upward in the hierarchy of life, owing to the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases  
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BIOSPHERE   the entire portion of Earth inhabited by life; the sum of all the planet’s ecosystems  
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ECOSYSTEM   all the organisms in a given area as well as the abiotic factors with which they interact; one or more communities and the physical environment around them  
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COMMUNITY   all the organisms that inhabit a particular area; an assemblage of populations of different species living close enough together for potential interaction  
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POPULATION   a localized group of individuals of the same species that can interbreed, producing fertile offspring  
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ORGANISM   an individual living thing (that can react to stimuli, reproduce, grow, and maintain homeostasis)  
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ORGAN   a specialized center of body function composed of several different types of tissues  
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ORGAN SYSTEM   a group of organs that work together in performing vital body functions  
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TISSUE   an integrated group of cells with a common function, structure, or both  
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CELL   the fundamental structural, functional and biological unit of all organisms  
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ORGANELLE   any of several membrane-enclosed structures with specialized functions, suspended in the cytosol of eukaryotic cells  
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MOLECULE   a chemical structure consisting of two or more atoms (the smallest units of matter that retain the properties of an element)  
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SYSTEMS BIOLOGY   an approach to studying biology that aims to model the dynamic behavior of whole biological systems  
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EUKARYOTIC CELL   a type of cell with a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles (eukaryotes: organisms with eukaryotic cells (protists, plants, fungi, and animals))  
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PROKARYOTIC CELL   a type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles (prokaryotes: organisms with prokaryotic cells (bacteria and archaea))  
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DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid)   a double-stranded, helical nucleic acid molecule consisting of nucleotide monomers with a deoxyribose sugar and nitrogenous bases; a cell’s genetic material  
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GENE   a discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA  
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GENOME   the entire “library” of genetic instructions that an organism inherits  
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BIOINFORMATICS   the use of computers, software, and mathematical models to process and integrate biological information from large data sets  
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NEGATIVE FEEDBACK   the primary mechanism of homeostasis, whereby a change in a physiological variable triggers a response that counteracts the initial change (accumulation of an end product of a process slows that process)  
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POSITIVE FEEDBACK   a physiological control mechanism in which a change in a variable triggers mechanisms that amplify the change (an end product SPEEDS UP its production)  
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DOMAIN BACTERIA   one of two prokaryotic domains, the other being ARCHAEA  
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DOMAIN ARCHAEA   one of two prokaryotic domains, the other being BACTERIA  
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DOMAIN EUKARYA   the domain that includes all eukaryotic organisms  
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INQUIRY   a search for information and explanation, often focused by specific questions  
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DISCOVERY SCIENCE (descriptive science)   ...DESCRIBING nature; process of scientific inquiry that focuses on describing nature as accurately as possible through careful observation/analysis of data  
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DATA   recorded observation(s)  
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INDUCTIVE REASONING (induction)   a type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations  
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HYPOTHESIS-BASED SCIENCE   ...EXPLAINING nature; observations/inductions of discovery science → natural causes/explanations for observations  
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HYPOTHESIS   a tentative answer to a well-framed question, narrower in scope than a theory and subject to testing -- explanation on trial  
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DEDUCTIVE REASONING (deduction)   a type of logic in which specific results are predicted from a general premise [logic: general → specific]; built into hypothesis-based science  
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CONTROLLED EXPERIMENT   an experiment in which an experimental group is compared with a control group that varies only in the factor being tested  
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(SCIENTIFIC) THEORY   an explanation that is broad in scope, generates new hypotheses, and is supported by a large body of evidence  
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(SCIENTIFIC) MODEL   a representation of a theory or process; can take many forms (i.e. diagrams, graphs, 3-D objects, computer programs, mathematical equations)  
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TECHNOLOGY   the application of scientific knowledge for a specific purpose, often involving industry or commerce but also including uses in basic research  
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