The Nature of Science and Scientific Methods

• Scientific knowledge is empirical, objective, quantifiable, predictable, testable, reproducible and self-correcting,
• Scientific knowledge requires highly controlled conditions and clearly defined terminology.
• Science cannot answer questions of ethics or solve political problems.
• Science cannot explain something unobservable or untestable, such as faith
• Art, philosophy, literature, ethics, and religion are alternative ways to answer questions.
• The purpose of science is to better understand the natural world.

Scientific Methods

• Observations and questions.
• Hypothesis development and prediction.
• Testing and gathering data.
• Evaluating results.
• Reporting results.

Hypothesis Testing

• Controlled experiments are essential for testing a hypothesis.
• Independent variable: manipulated.
• Controlled variable: Constant.
• Dependent variable: the result.
• Confounding variable: interferes with results.
• Prediction structure: If (independent variable), then (dependent variable), because (hypothesis).
• Data can be ordinal/quantitative (height, weight, scores) or nominal/qualitative (texture, colors, sounds).

Theory vs. Law

• Theory: Explanations supported by empirical evidence.
• Examples include germ theory, cell theory, gene theory, and the theory of evolution by natural selection.
• Law: Describes natural phenomena, such as thermodynamics and gravity.

Levels of Biological Organization

• Cells Tissues
• Organs
• Organisms
• Populations
• Communities

ATP

• ATP is a molecule that all living things produce.
• Death occurs when a living thing stops producing ATP.

Characteristics of Living Things

• Exhibit heterotrophic (taking from other living things) or autotrophic (giving to other living things) nutrition.
• Maintain homeostasis to survive(internal wellbeing).
• Response to Stimuli: (sweating).
• Living things Reproduce, grow, and evolve.

Diversity of Life

• Eubacteria: true bacteria.
• Archaebacteria: ancient bacteria.
• Eukarya: true nucleus.

Kingdoms of Life

• Bacteria.
• Archaea.
• Protista.
• Fungi.
• Animalia.
• Taxonomy is the system of classification.
• Kingdoms are groups that reflect evolutionary closeness.
• Levels of classification: Kingdom, Phylum, Class, Order, Family, Genus, species.
• Genus and species make up the Binomial Nomenclature, with species in lowercase.

Facts about Fat

• Fat cells last about 8 years.
• There are several different types of fat in the body.
• All extra calories are stored as fat.
• Lipids store energy, and sterols assist with development.
• Lipids provide 9 calories per gram.
• Lipids Unit Molecule = Fatty Acid (nonpolar).
• Function Structure: cell membranes (made of phospholipids, fatty acid chains & phosphate molecules).
• Cell membrane marks the boundary for the cell.
• Function energy: Glycerides (glycerol +fatty acid chains, there are three types, mon-, di-, triglycerides).
• Hydrogenated plant fats (trans fat) are not healthy.
• Sterol Unit Molecule = cholesterol.
• Sex hormones.
• Glucocorticoids (reduce inflation).

Saturated Fats

• Solid at room temperatures.
• Stored as fat in the body.

Unsaturated Fats

• Liquid at room temperatures.
• Less likely to be stored as body fat.

Hydrogenation

• Is the artificial addition of hydrogen atoms to an unsaturated fat.
• Proteins are versatile building blocks providing 4 calories per gram.
• A single amino acid is the Unit Molecule (20 different types).
• Amino Acid covalent bonds are called peptide bonds
• Proteins are an Essential dietary component with many types.
• Complex shapes determine the function of proteins.
• Denaturing changes the shape of the protein.
• Enzymes, essential to all metabolic reactions, are named by what they catalyze; they are chemical catalysts.
• Nucleic acids store information on how to function the body, caloric value varies.
• A nucleotide is a Unit molecule.
• Function: energy (chemical bond)
• Types: ATP ADP.
• Examples: DNA- RNA- Protein.
• All life obeys the 1st and 2nd laws of Thermodynamics.
• Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but can be transformed.

Cellular Metabolism

• To stay alive (organized), organisms must take energy from their environment.
• Entropy is the transition from organized to disorganized state.
• Kinetic energy: motion
• Potential energy: stored
• Energy comes from food with potential (chemical) energy.
• ATP is recycled to release energy from food for work.
• Glucose stores a lot of energy, but cellular activities require smaller amounts.
• Excess energy is lost as heat.
• 1 glucose yields 36-38 ATP's.

Explanation of nature and purpose of science. Outline of the scientific method, including observation, hypothesis development, testing, and evaluation. Discussion of variables in experimental design.