BIOL 1110 Lecture Notes - Lecture 1: Heredity, Archaea, Human Genome
Document Summary
The science of life: biology unifies much of natural science. Living systems are the most complex chemical systems on earth. Life is constrained by the properties of chemistry and physics: science is becoming more interdisciplinary. 7 characteristics of all living organisms: cellular organization, ordered complexity, sensitivity, growth, development, and reproduction, energy utilization, homeostasis, evolutionary adaptation. Atoms, molecules, organelles, cells: cell is the basic unit of life. Earth is an ecosystem we call the biosphere: each level has emergent properties. Cannot be deduced by looking at parts themselves. The nature of science: science aims to understand the natural world through observation and reasoning, science begins with observations, therefore, much of science is purely descriptive. Human genome sequencing: science uses both deductive and inductive reasoning, deductive reasoning uses general principles to make specific predictions. Inductive reasoning uses specific observations to develop general conclusions: scientists use a systematic approach to gain understanding of the natural world.
