Exploring Life

Objective 1 = Manage the presentation of biological information Objective 2 = Help each student to acquire information according to his or her own Objective 3 = Help students relate this information to their own lives

Movement = One of the first things to observe, but not a definitive indicator of life Sensitivity = Almost all living things respond to stimuli Death = An action that can be tested to see if the object is alive

Plants = Grow toward light Animals = Retreat from fire Redwood tree = Does not respond to being kicked Hibernating bear = Does not respond to singing

<p>Death = Loss of life Complexity = Necessary criterion of life, but not sufficient Cellular organization = All organisms consist of one or more cells Reproduction = Passing on traits from one generation to the next</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Sensitivity = All organisms respond to stimuli Growth = All living things assimilate energy and use it to grow Development = Multicellular organisms undergo systematic gene-directed changes as they grow and mature Homeostasis = All living things maintain relatively constant internal conditions, different from their environment</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Regulation = All organisms have regulatory mechanisms that coordinate internal processes Metabolism = Process where all living things assimilate energy and use it to grow Photosynthesis = Process used by plants, algae, and some bacteria to create covalent carbon bonds from CO2 and H2O Inanimate objects = They do not die because they were never alive</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Living things = They die Bacteria = The simplest ones contain a bewildering array of molecules, organized into many complex structures Computer = Complex, but not alive Organism = It shares certain general properties with all known organisms</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>False</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>True</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Death is the loss of life. It is a circular definition because unless one can detect life, death becomes a meaningless concept.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>Complexity is a necessary criterion of life, but it is not sufficient in itself to identify living things because many complex things are not alive.</p> Signup and view all the answers

<p>The fundamental properties shared by all organisms on Earth are: cellular organization (organized assemblages of molecules enclosed within membranes), sensitivity (response to stimuli), growth (assimilation of energy for growth), development (systematic gene-directed changes as organisms grow and mature), reproduction (passing on traits to the next generation), regulation (regulatory mechanisms that coordinate internal processes), and homeostasis (maintaining relatively constant internal conditions).</p> Signup and view all the answers