Term | Definition |
Biosphere | All organisms and the part of Earth where they exist. |
Biodiversity | Variety of life within an area. |
Species | Group of organisms so similar to one another that they can breed and produce fertile offspring. |
Biology | Scientific study of all forms of life. |
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 | Basic unit of life |
Metabolism | All chemical processes that synthesize or break down materials within an organism. |
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) | Molecule that stores genetic information in all organisms. |
System | Changing, organized group of related parts that interact to form a whole. |
Ecosystem | Collection of organisms and nonliving things, such as climate, soil, water, and rocks, in an area. |
Homeostasis | Regulation and maintenance of constant internal conditions in an organism. |
Evolution | Change in a species over time; process of biological change by which descendants come to differ from their ancestors |
Adaption | Inherited trait that is selected for over time because it allows organisms to better survive in their environment. |
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 | Proposed explanation or answer to a scientific question. |
Experiment | Process that tests a hypothesis by collecting information under controlled circumstances. |
Independent Variable | Condition or factor that is manipulated by a scientist during an experiment. |
Dependent Variable | Experimental data collected through observation and measurement. |
Constant | Condition that is controlled so it does not change during an experiment. |
Theory | Proposed explanation for a wide variety of observations and experimental results. |
Measurement | A 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 | Tool that provides an enlarged image of an object. |
Gene | Specific region of DNA that codes for a particular protein. |
Molecular Genetics | Study of DNA structure and function on the molecular level. |
Genomics | Study and comparison of genomes within a single species or among different species. |
Biotechnology | Use and application of living things and biological processes. |
Transgenic | Organisms whose genome has been altered to contain one or more genes from another organism or species. |