MCB 181R Chapter Notes - Chapter 1: Cytoplasm, Central Dogma Of Molecular Biology, Archaea
5 Sep 2016
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Document Summary
Observation: the act of viewing the world around us. Experimentation: a disciplined and controlled way of asking and answering questions about the world in an unbiased manner. Outline of the scientific method: observations, hypothesis, predictions, experiments or new observations (if results are not consistent by this point, start over, theory: a general explanation of natural phenomena supported by many experiments and observations. Four key characteristics: complexity, with precise spatial organization on several scales, the ability to change in response to the environment, the ability to reproduce, the capacity to evolve. First law of thermodynamics: energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. The scientific method shows that living organisms come from other living organisms: living organisms can"t spontaneously arise. Cell: simplest entity that can exist as an independent unit of life. Nucleic acids store and transmit information needed for growth function, and reproduction: essential features of cells, the ability to store and transmit information.
