The Study of Life
How do we study life?
Science
• Technical and empirical body of knowledge about the
physical and living world
Science
• Empiricism of science forms the basis of its:
• Theories
• A body of explanation that is either validated or not yet validated
• Laws
• Embody mathematical relationships between quantities under a
prescribed condition
• A rule that nature follows under a specific set of conditions
• Principles
• Bodies of knowledge that are already validated and are well
established by evidences
Scientific Method
• Process of scientific investigation, starting with the
development of ides or asking of questions about a
phenomenon that is observed
Steps in the Scientific Method
• Asking a question
• Observation
• Forming a hypothesis
• Interim answers or educated guesses to the question
based on what is already known about the phenomenon
that is being studied
• Performing the experiment
• To test the hypothesis
Steps in the Scientific Method
• Data gathering
• observation
• Analysis of data
• Organize the data
• Formation of a conclusion
• Re-state the hypothesis to fully answer the question
Life Science
• The study of the living components of the Earth, what
comprises these living components, and of the
ecosystems they inhabit
What is life?
A close up
picture of a
sunflower
showing the
parts of the
flower.
A pygmy seahorse
camouflaging itself with its
environment
A jackrabbit’s ears opening wide,
vividly showing its blood vessels
A butterfly
obtaining fuel
in the form of
nectar from
flowers
A sprouting seed
A damselfly landing on a venus flytrap,
with the flytrap rapidly closing its trap
A mother
giraffe with its
young calf
standing beside
her
A area with lush vegetation and diverse animals
Characteristics of life
• High degree of organization
• Evolutionary adaptation/ evolution and adaptation
• Regulation and homeostasis
• Energy processing/ acquisition and use of energy
• Growth and development
• Response to the environment/ ability to respond to
stimuli
• Reproduction
• Diversity and unity
Biology
• Study of life
• Came from Greek words:
• bios = life
• Logos = reason or study
• Science that deal with the structures, functions, and
relationships of living things and their environment
Levels of Organization of Living Things
• Atom • Organ system
• Molecule or compound • Organism
• Organelle • Population
• Cell • Community
• Tissue • Ecosystem
• Organ • Biome
• Biosphere
3 Major Divisions of Biology
• Microbiology
• Botany
• Zoology
Branches of Biology
• Taxonomy
• Cytology
• Embryology
• Anatomy
• Physiology
• Biochemistry
• Genetics
• Evolution
• Ecology
Modern Branches of Biology
• Molecular Biology
• Genomics
• Proteomics
• Immunology
• Bioinformatics
Biology
• Biologist
• A person who studies biology
• Uses a comparative approach in studying molecules,
structures, organisms and ecosystems
Principles of Biology
• Cell Theory
• Gene Theory
• Evolution
• Homeostasis
• Laws of Thermodynamics
Cell Theory
• All living organisms are composed of cells
• Cells are the basic unit of life
• Cells come from pre-existing cells
Gene Theory
• Traits are inherited through gene transmission
• Genes are located on chromosomes and consist of DNA
• Traits are passed on from one generation to the next by
way of these genes
• Information for how the organism appears and how its
cells work come from the organism’s genes
Evolution
• Any genetic change in a population that is inherited over
several generations
• Evolution by natural selection, is the theory that maintains
that a population's inherited traits change over time, and
that all known organisms have a common origin
• Explain how specialized features develop in different
species
Homeostasis
• Ability to maintain a constant internal environment in
response to environmental changes
• Ability of an organism to control its body functions in
order to uphold a stable internal environment even
when its external environment changes
Laws of Thermodynamics
• energy is constant and energy transformation is not
completely efficient
• Energy cannot be created nor destroyed, it can only be
converted from one form to another
