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Introduction to Basic Science

• Biology studies life, but defining life isn't straightforward
• Virology studies viruses, which share some traits of living entities but don't fully meet life criteria
• Virologists aren't strictly biologists
• Biologists study the early molecular evolution that preceded life itself
• Biology addresses three core questions: the shared properties of life, life's structural organization, how to organize diverse organisms

Properties of Life

• Living organisms share nine key traits: order, sensitivity/response, reproduction, adaptation, growth/development, regulation, homeostasis, energy processing, and evolution
• These characteristics collectively define life

Order

• Organisms have highly organized structures of cells
• Single-celled organisms are complex with atoms forming molecules, then organelles
• Multicellular organisms organize cells into tissues, tissues into organs, and organs into systems

Sensitivity or Response to Stimuli

• Organisms respond to various stimuli, such as plants bending toward light
• Chemotaxis is movement toward chemicals, and phototaxis is movement toward light
• Movement toward a stimulus is positive; away is negative

Reproduction

• Single-celled organisms reproduce by DNA duplication and division
• Multicellular organisms use germline cells to form new individuals
• Genes with DNA pass to offspring, ensuring species similarity in traits like size and shape

Growth and Development

• Genes code instructions for growth and development, directing cellular processes
• Genes ensure that offspring exhibit the same characteristics as their parents

Regulation

• Even small organisms need regulatory mechanisms for internal function coordination, stimuli response, and stress coping
• Nutrient transport and blood flow are two examples
• Organs, groups of tissues, perform functions such as oxygen transport, waste removal, nutrient delivery, and cooling

Homeostasis

• Cells require specific temperature, pH, and chemical concentrations to function
• Organisms use homeostasis to maintain constant internal conditions despite environmental change
• Thermoregulation, regulating body temperature, is an example, especially in cold-climate organisms like polar bears

Energy Processing

• Organisms use an energy source for metabolic activities
• Some organisms capture solar energy and convert it to food as chemical energy
• Others use chemical energy from ingested molecules

Major Themes in Biology

• Biology is unified by major themes like evolution, cell theory, genetics/heredity, homeostasis, interdependence, energy flow, structure, and function

Evolution

• Evolution explains life's diversity through natural selection
• Organisms with advantageous traits are more likely to reproduce and pass on traits

Cell Theory

• Cell theory states living organisms are composed of cells, can be single-celled (prokaryotes and some eukaryotes) or multicellular (most eukaryotes)

Genetics and Heredity

• Genetic information is passed through DNA from successive generations
• It also investigates how genetic variation arises and contributes to evolution

Homeostasis

• Organisms maintain a stable environment despite external changes, regulating temperature, pH, and vital parameters

Interdependence

• Organisms are interconnected, reliant on each other for survival via competition, cooperation, predation, and mutualism

Energy Flow

• All organisms require energy for survival, beginning with producers like plants and moving through consumers and decomposers

Structure and Function

• An organism's structure is closely related to its function
• A bird's wing shape adapts for flight
• A protein's structure defines its role in the cell

Biology Experiments

• Biology experiments study living organisms and environment interactions
• They range from simple observations to complex, controlled studies

Simple Observations Examples

• Examining cell structure under a microscope
• Observing seedling growth under varying conditions like light and water
• Studying insect, bird, or animal behavior in their natural habitat

Controlled Experiments Examples

• Testing fertilizer's effect on plant growth by comparing plants with and without fertilizer
• Measuring the effect of temperature on enzyme activity
• Studying trait inheritance by crossing plant or animal varieties

More Complex Experiments Examples:

• Genetic engineering: Manipulating genes to study function/create organisms with desired traits
• Testing new drug safety/efficacy on humans; Clinical trials
• Ecological studies: Investigating interactions between organisms and their environment

Key Steps in Conducting a Biology Experiment

• Formulate a question
• Develop a testable hypothesis
• Design the experiment determining variables, controls, and procedures
• Systematically collect data
• Use statistical methods to analyze the data and draw conclusions
• Communicate findings through reports, presentations, or publications

Applications in Biology

• Biology advances living systems understanding and develops technologies for global challenges like disease, food security, and environmental conservation

Medicine and Healthcare Application

• Understanding disease biology allows diagnostic tests, vaccines, and therapies
• Advances in immunology for vaccines and genetic research for personalized medicine approaches
• Biologists study drug interactions with the human body, allowing for new medication development and improvements to existing ones
• Techniques like MRI and CT scans rely on biological principles to visualize internal organs

Agriculture and Food Production

• Genetic engineering enhances crop yield/resistance/nutritional value
• Food Safety: Biologists study pathogens and improve food safety
• Ecological principles inform sustainable practices reducing impact and conserving

Environmental Conservation

• Biologists study ecosystems and species interactions to understand impacts, and strategies for conservation
• Biological processes remediate polluted environments
• Understand climate change impact and develop mitigation/adaptation strategies

Biotechnology Aplication

• Gene editing/cloning for therapeutic proteins, genetically modified organisms, and gene therapy
• Biological processes produce biofuels, new materials, treat waste on a industrial scale

Other Aplications

• Forensic evidence identifies individuals, solves crimes
• Bioinformatics analyzes biological data like DNA/protein structure

Major Themes in Chemistry

• Chemistry's major themes include structure/bonding, reactions, matter, thermodynamics, kinetics, equilibrium, quantum mechanics, organic/inorganic chemistry

Structure and Bonding

• Studies atom arrangement and connection in molecules
• Explores bond types (covalent, ionic, metallic), strength and their influence on substances

Chemical Reactions

• It involves reaction mechanisms, kinetics, thermodynamics, and equilibrium

States of Matter

• Exploring solid, liquid, gas phases and their transitions
• Studying properties like density, viscosity, compressibility

Thermodynamics

• Deals with energy transfer/transformation and concepts like heat, work, enthalpy, entropy, free energy

Kinetics

• Reaction rates and influencing factors like temperature, concentration, catalysts

Equilibrium

• Deals with balanced systems; explores how reactions reach equilibrium and how to control conditions

Quantum Mechanics

• Behavior of atoms and molecules, using mathematical models to describe electron motion/energy

Organic Chemistry

• Chemistry of carbon chemistry, including hydrocarbons, alcohols, aldehydes, and ketones

Inorganic Chemistry

• Properties, structure, and reactions of inorganic compounds including metals, nonmetals etc

Biochemistry

• Explores structures and functions of biomolecules such as proteins

Analytical Chemistry

• Identification, separation, and quantification of chemical substances
• Using analytics to study properties and compositions

Physical Chemistry

• Study of matter properties like thermodynamics using spectroscopy, quantum mechanics etc

Application in Chemistry

• Chemistry is key to medicine/healthcare, material science/engineering
• Medical applications for diagnostic tests using blood tests/imaging
• Design materials and manipulation of matter to produce energy in nanotechnology

Energy and Environment

• Exploring new energy processes i.e batteries and remediation sustainable solutions

Agriculture and Food Production

• Chemistry in pesticides and development to improve crops, plus food supply

Other Applications

• Chemistry for forensics and cosmetology

Experiments in Chemistry

• Chemistry uses electrolysis, chromatography, titration to conduct water analysis etc

Physics

• Physical science deals with force, motion and energy

Forces and Interactions

• Physics identifies fundamental forces, including gravity, electromagnetism, strong and weak nuclear forces that govern interactions
• Newtons laws describe object movement and permeate extert force

Energy and Conservation

• Energy Transformations: Energy can transform (e.g., potential to kinetic), while the total remains constant
• Work and Power: Work is the energy transfer, power the rate at which it is done

Motion and Dynamics

• Kinematics: Describes motion using velocity, acceleration, displacement, without forces
• Dynamics: Investigates motion causes, focusing on force/motion changes

Waves and Optics

• Shows wave superposition/interference/refraction
• Light is an wave with reflection, refraction, and diffraction

Thermodynamics

• Focus on heat, work, energy transfer of conduction,radiation etc
• It entails disorder using random systems

Quantum Mechanics

• Describes behaviour to be quantized
• Wave-Particle: wave-like particles

Relativity

• It describes space over time
• Theories involving curve-space

Experiments and Study

• Galileo Pisa used thoughts to see objects reaction
• Prisms can demonstrate the white light spectrum

Gravity

• Attracts orbits in space by keeping earth in the sun
• Is is impacted by mass and light, or from sun to the sun

Atomic Theory

• It is matter and can't be divided using atoms
• Matter can be indivisible

Theory History

• Atomic theory come from Philosopher and Dalton that explain with particles in quantum

Evolution by Natural Selection

• A break down of organisms
• Competition will arise to survive and reproduce

How it works

• Selection pressure
• A trait can increase over time

How to spot fake science

• To spotting fake science you need to look for reproducibly and anecdotal evidence
• Using review and convincing evidence using emotion and conspiracies

Communication

• Transparency
• And effective with storytelling, with many communications