CH. 1

Biology

• Science: a way of studying the world in order to understand how it works.

• Biology: the study of living things• Biology is used in medicine,

veterinary sciences, ecology, and genetics.

• Biological knowledge is used to fight diseases such as the flu, pneumonia, and AIDS

Biological knowledge is used to help cure genetic disorders• Genes: inherited “operating instructions” for

the body. • Genetic disorders such as cystic fibrosis may

be cured through the transfer of normally functioning genes to affected individuals.

• Humans are rapidly changing the environment, and the growing human population is straining the earth’s ability to support it.

Science is a search for knowledge

• Science is used to solve problems that affect our lives.

• Hypothesis: a testable explanation for an observation

• Prediction: what you expect to happen IF your hypothesis is correct

• The controlled test of a hypothesis is called an experiment.

• In a CONTROL EXPERIMENT, a group that HAS NOT been exposed to the variable causing an effect is compared to a group that HAS BEEN exposed to the variable.

• The group NOT exposed to the variable is called the CONTROL GROUP.

• The VARIABLE is the factor you are testing that causes some effect.

• Theory: a unifying explanation for a broad range of observations – generally accepted as true.

• Science requires continued verification of hypothesis

• All Scientific theories can be overturned by new evidence.

SCIENTIFIC METHOD• The scientific Method is a systematic study of

a question or problem. 7 steps1. State the Problem2. Observations3. Gather Data4. Hypothesis5. Experiment6. Analyze data7. Draw a Conclusion8. **Repeat to ensure there were no mistakes**