Scribd
Upload
69 views13 pages

Biology: What Is The Study of Life?

This document provides an overview of biology and what it entails: - Biology is the study of life, including living organisms, cells, evolution, inheritance, ecosystems, and more. It uses the scientific method to understand and explain the natural world. - There are two main reasons to study biology - it is relevant to everyday human experiences and medical advances, and it can address challenges like biodiversity and biotechnology. However, some topics in biology can also be controversial. - Living organisms are highly organized, complex systems composed of cells that contain a genetic blueprint. They acquire and use energy, grow, maintain homeostasis, reproduce, respond to their environment, and may evolve over time. Biology seeks to understand and

Uploaded by

Prasanna Naresh Kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
69 views13 pages

Biology: What Is The Study of Life?

This document provides an overview of biology and what it entails: - Biology is the study of life, including living organisms, cells, evolution, inheritance, ecosystems, and more. It uses the scientific method to understand and explain the natural world. - There are two main reasons to study biology - it is relevant to everyday human experiences and medical advances, and it can address challenges like biodiversity and biotechnology. However, some topics in biology can also be controversial. - Living organisms are highly organized, complex systems composed of cells that contain a genetic blueprint. They acquire and use energy, grow, maintain homeostasis, reproduce, respond to their environment, and may evolve over time. Biology seeks to understand and

Uploaded by

Prasanna Naresh Kumar
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
Available Formats
Download as PPT, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
You are on page 1/ 13

Biology: What Is the Study of Life?

Why Study Biology?

• Two important reasons for studying Biology:


– Biology is relevant to our everyday experience
• Medical advances
• Addressing needs of growing human population
• Challenges of decreasing rate of biodiversity
• Biotechnology advances
Why Study Biology?
– Biology can be
controversial Figure 1-1c
• Examples:
– Dealing with
endangered
species?
– Use of human fetal
tissue in biomedical
research?
– Safety of irradiated
foods?
What is Biology?
• It is the study of life.
• Branch of science
– A way of understanding nature.
• A human endeavor
– An attempt to understand, explain, integrate
and describe the world of living things.
What is Life?
• Living organisms:
– Highly organized and
complex.
– Are composed of one
or more cells.
– Contain a blueprint of
their characteristics.
– Acquire and use
energy.
– Carry out and control
numerous reactions.
What is Life?
• Living organisms:
– Grow. Insert F01_03b
– Maintain constant
internal environment.
– Produce offspring.
– Respond to
environmental
changes.
– May evolve.
Biology is a Branch of Science
• Both an activity and body of knowledge.
• A way of understanding the natural world.
– Scientists make predictions and test those
predictions.
Major Themes in Biology
• Evolution by Natural
Selection
• Inheritance
• Cells
• Biological
Classification
• Bioenergetics
• Homeostasis
• Ecosystems
How is Biology studied?
Insert F01-06
Scientific Method
• Begins with
observations about
our surroundings.

• Next, ask questions


about the phenomena
we are observing.
Scientific Method
• Followed by
generating a
hypothesis.
– Tentative explanation
to the question.
Scientific Method
• Testing
– Scientists perform
tests to determine the
accuracy of their
hypothesis.
Scientific Method
• Explanation
– It is a hypothesis that
has passed the widest
and most
comprehensive series
of tests.
– Still subject to review
and consideration.
– May be elevated to a
theory = well
demonstrated
principle.

You might also like