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Biology 1.1-1.3
key terms for chapter one
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| Science | organized way of gathering and analyzing evidence about the natural world. |
| Observation | the act of noticing and describing events or processes in a careful, orderly way. |
| Inference | a logical interpretation based on what scientists already know. |
| Hypothesis | a scientific explanation for a set of observations that can be tested in ways that support or reject it. |
| Controlled Experiment | experiment in which only one variable is changed. |
| Independent Variable | variable that is deliberately changed. |
| Dependent Variable | variable that is observed and that changes in response to the independent variable. |
| Theory | well-tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations and hypotheses, and enables scientists to make accurate predications about new situations. |
| Bias | particular preference or point of view that is personal, rather than scientific |
| Biology | scientific study of life |
| DNA | all organisms store the complex information they need to live, grow, and reproduce in a genetic code written in a molecule called this. |
| Stimulus | signal to which an organism responds. |
| Sexual Reproduction | type of reproduction in which cells from two parents unite to form the first cell of a new organism. |
| Asexual Reproduction | process of reproduction involving a single parent that results in offspring that are genetically identical to the parent. |
| Homeostasis | relatively constant internal physical and chemical conditions that organisms maintain. |
| Metabolism | the combination of chemical reactions through which an organism builds up or breaks down materials. |
| Biosphere | part of the Earth in which life exists including land, water and air or atmosphere. |
| Control Group | group in an experiment that is exposed to the same conditions as the experimental group except for one independent variable. |
| Data | evidence; information gathered from observations. |