Life Science The Human Environment WELCOME TO BIO 101! "The role of the infinitely small in nature is infinitely. -Louis Pasteur

Transcription

1 Life Science The Human Environment WELCOME TO BIO 101! "The role of the infinitely small in nature is infinitely large" -Louis Pasteur

2 Course Website

3 The Significance of Biology in Our Lives Biology has significantly contributed to our high standard of living. For example: Advanced food production Significant ifi progress in health Advances in disease control Advances in plant and animal breeding Advances in biotechnology Progress in genome studies

4 Biological Research Improves Food Production One food that has seen a vast increase in production and variation is the tomato. Tomatoes (Lycopersicon sp.) originated on the western coast of South America in Peru. Wild tomato species have tiny fruits, and only the red ones are edible. Over the centuries, selective breeding and biotechnology have resulted in the generation of hundreds of varieties of this vegetable.

5 Fundamental Attitudes in Science Scientists must distinguish between opinions and scientific facts. Scientists opinions may become facts if supported by data. A good scientist must be skeptical. not be biased. be honest in analyzing and reporting data. The critical difference between science and non-science is that in science, one can test the principle. In non-science, one may not be able to.

6 Theoretical vs. Applied Science Initially, some scientific data seems to be purely informational and not very practical. Practical applications usually follow the discoveries of basic science. The discovery of the structure of DNA has led to new drug treatments for many diseases. The discovery of microorganisms has led to a dramatic decrease in infectious disease and food preservation. Louis Pasteur and Pasturized Milk

7 Science vs. Nonscience Scientists continually challenge and test principles to determine cause-and-effect relationships. Biology, Physics, Chemistry, Astronomy Nonscientists cannot test their hypotheses directly and often cannot establish cause- and-effect relationships. History, Literature, Philosophy, Art, Sociology, etc.

8 Smoking

9 Does Smoking Cause Cancer? Yes

10 Association A relationship between two measurements that are statistically dependent. Indicates an increased risk of having a disease in conjunction with another finding. Is not equivalent to cause.

11 Danger of Association=Causation Muu Muus cause obesity Morphine causes pain Lingerie causes Chlamydia US Obesity Trends

12 A deceptive practice that uses the language of science to convince people into thinking that a claim has scientific validity. Marketing claims of nutritional supplements Marketing claims of organic foods Pseudoscience

13 Limitations of Science The scientific method can only be applied to questions that have a factual base. Questions of morality, values, social issues, and attitudes cannot be tested scientifically. Science is limited by scientists. People are fallible. The sun orbits the earth. But, science is self-correcting correcting. New data shapes new hypotheses. The earth rotates on its axis, so maybe the earth orbits the sun.

14 The Scientific Method Podcast Mr. Andersen gives a brief description of the scientific method.

15 The Science of Biology Biology is the study of living things. Microbiology Organisms seen under a microscope Theoretical biology Evolutionary biology, animal behavior, biochemistry Applied biology Medicine, crop science, plant breeding, wildlife management

16 Biological Organization and Emerging Properties Biosphere the worldwide ecosystem. Ecosystem communities that interact with one another in a particular place. Communities populations of different organisms interacting with each other in a particular place. Population a group of individual organisms in a particular place. Organism an independent living unit.

17 Levels of Biological Organization Organ system many organs that perform a particular function. Organ many tissues that perform a particular function. Tissue many cells that perform a particular function. Cell simplest unit that shows characteristics of life. Molecules specific arrangements of atoms. Atoms the fundamental units of matter.