Term | Definition |
biosphere | all organisms and the part of the Earth where they exist |
biodiversity | the variety of organisms in a given area |
species | a group of organisms that are closely related and can produce fertile offspring |
biology | the scientific study of living things and their interactions with the environment |
science | the knowledge obtained by observing natural events and conditions in order to discover facts and formulate laws or principles that can be verified or tested |
organism | any individual living thing |
cell | the basic unit of life |
metabolism | all of the chemical processes that build up or break down materials |
DNA | the genetic material in all organisms that contains the information that determines inherited characteristics as a molecule |
system | an organized group of related parts that interact to form a whole |
ecosystem | a community of organisms and their physical environment |
homeostasis | the maintenance of constant internal conditions in an organism |
evolution | the change in living things over time |
adaptation | an inherited trait that gives an advantage to individual organisms and is passed on to future generations |
observation | using the senses to study the world; using tools to collect measurements; examining previous research results |
data | observations and measurements recorded during an experiment |
hypothesis | a proposed answer for a scientific question |
experiment | scientists study factors called independent and dependent variables to find cause-and-effect relationships |
independent variable | a condition that is manipulated, or changed, by a scientist in an experiment |
dependent variable | the experimental data collected through observations and measurements |
constants | the conditions that do not change during an experiment |
theory | a proposed explanation for a wide range of observations and experimental results that is supported by a wide range of evidence |
measurement | the determination of the dimensions of something using a standard unit |
accuracy | a description of how close a measurement is to the true value of the quantity measured |
precision | the exactness of a measurement |
microscope | a tool that provides an enlarged image of an object |
gene | a segment of DNA that stores genetic information |
molecular genetics | the study and manipulation of DNA on a molecular level |
genomics | the study and comparison of genomes both within and across species |
biotechnology | the use and application of living things and biological processes |
transgenic | organism whose genome has been altered to contain one or more genes from another organism or species |