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bio terms
terms and definitions for 14.1-3
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| biogenesis | the theory that living organisms come only from other living organisms |
| spontaneous generation | an early and now disproved theory that living organisms come to life spontaneously from nonliving material |
| radiometric dating | a method of determining the absolute age of an object by comparing the relative percentages of a radioactive (parent) isotope and a stable (daughter) isotope |
| isotope | an atom that has the same number of protons (or the same atomic number) as other atoms of the same element do but that has a different number of neutrons (and thus a different atomic mass) |
| mass number | the sum of the numbers of protons and neutrons in the nucleus of an atom |
| radioactive decay | the disintegration of an unstable atomic nucleus into one or more different nuclides, accompanied by the emission of radiation, the nuclear capture or ejection of electrons, or fission |
| radioactive isotope | an isotope that has an unstable nucleus and that emits radiation |
| half-life | the time required for half of a sample of a radioactive isotope to break down by radioactive decay to form a daughter isotope |
| microsphere | cell-like structure; made from solutions of simple organic chemicals; spherical in shape; composed of many protein molecules that are organized as a membrane |
| coacervate | a mass of colloidal substances held together by electrostatic attraction |
| ribozyme | a type of RNA that can act as an enzyme |
| archaea | in a modern taxonomic system, a domain made up of prokaryotes that are distinguished from other prokaryotes by differences in their genetics and in the makeup of their cell wall; this domain aligns with the traditional kingdom Archaebacteria |
| chemosynthesis | the production of carbohydrates through the use of energy from inorganic molecules instead of light |
| cyanobacteria | a bacterium that can carry out photosynthesis, such as a blue-green alga |
| ozone | a gas molecule that is made up of three oxygen atoms |
| endosymbiosis | a mutually beneficial relationship in which one organism lives within another |