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Chapter 1
Biology and You
| Term | Definition |
|---|---|
| biology | the study of life |
| cell | basic unit of life |
| reproduction | process by which organisms make more of their own kind from one generation to the next |
| metabolism | the sum of all of the chemical reactions carried out in an organism (obtain and use energy) |
| heredity | the passing of traits from parent to offspring |
| homeostasis | the maintenance of a stable internal environment |
| evolution | change over time |
| species | a group of genetically similar organisms that can produce fertile offspring |
| ecology | interactions of organisms with one another and with the nonliving parts of their environment |
| observation | act of noting or perceiving objects or events using the five senses |
| hypothesis | an educated guess |
| prediction | expected outcome of a test, assuming the hypothesis is correct |
| experiment | a planned procedure to test a hypothesis |
| control group | the group in the experiment that receives no treatment |
| independent variable | the factor that is changed in an experiment |
| dependent variable | the variable that is measured in an experiment |
| theory | a set of related hypotheses that have been tested and confirmed many times by many scientists |