Biology Basics

The unifying themes of biology are: all organisms are made up of cells that process hereditary information encoded in genes, evolution explains the unity and diversity of life, energy processing is important for life, and all organisms are able to regulate their own internal environments.

Energy processing allows organisms to move, grow, and reproduce.

Biologists can study life at multiple levels of organization, from the molecular biology of a cell to the anatomy and physiology of plants and animals, and evolution of populations.

<p>The scientific method is a process used by scientists to make observations, pose questions, and develop and test hypotheses.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The subdisciplines within biology are defined by the nature of their research questions and the tools they use.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Enzymes are proteins that act as biological catalysts by accelerating chemical reactions. They convert substrates into products.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Almost all metabolic processes in the cell require enzyme catalysis to occur at rates fast enough to sustain life.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Enzymology is the study of enzymes and their properties.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Pseudoenzyme analysis recognizes that some enzymes have lost the ability to carry out biological catalysis during evolution, as reflected in their amino acid sequences and unusual properties.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>An enzyme's specificity comes from its unique three-dimensional structure. Enzymes increase the reaction rate by lowering the activation energy.</p> Signup and view all the answers