Day 1 Handout (General Biology) PDF

The Study of Life Biology unravels a story that started at least 3.8 billion years back in an aquatic environment devoid of life. The first living cells came about as a result of ancient events wherein lifeless matter (atoms and molecules) became organized into an entity capable of capturing and usi...

The Study of Life Biology unravels a story that started at least 3.8 billion years back in an aquatic environment devoid of life. The first living cells came about as a result of ancient events wherein lifeless matter (atoms and molecules) became organized into an entity capable of capturing and using energy and raw materials, sensing and responding to the environment, and reproducing its own kind. Provided with genetic materials that can change, the first living things evolved from one generation to the next, resulting in the present diversity of organisms. Biology literally means study of life. It comes from two Greek words, bios meaning "life" and logos meaning "study." Biology is the science that deals with structures, functions of living things, and their relationships with their environment. It is a broad field and may be studied at various levels – molecular, cellular, organismal, population, community, and ecosystems. Traditionally, there are three major divisions of biological sciences namely: ·Microbiology – study of microorganisms ·Botany – study of plants ·Zoology - study of animals These major divisions may be further subdivided into specialized branches that often correlate or overlap with one another. Some of the branches of biology are listed in the table below together with their specific description and focus.  Traditional Branches of Biological Sciences Taxonomy study of naming and classifying organisms Cytology study of structures and functions of cells Embryology study of formation and development of organisms Anatomy study of structures and parts of organisms Physiology study of functions of living organisms and their parts Biochemistry study of biochemical compositions and processes of living things study of heredity and variation Genetics study of origin and differentiation of various Evolution organisms study of relationships of organisms with each Ecology other and their environment  New subdisciplines in biology have emerged because of the rapidly changing technology. Some of these modern branches of biology are listed below together with their description and focus. Modern Branches of Biological Science Bioinformatics - study of biological data using 01 computer programs Genomics - study of the entire genetic material of an 02 organism Molecular Biology - study of molecules that make up 03 the cells of living organisms Pharmacogenomics - study of how genes affect a 04 person’s response to drugs Proteomics - study of the different proteins in an 05 organism 06 Synthetic Biology - study of artificial biological systems Systems Biology - study of computational and 07 mathematical modeling of biological systems Modern biology is integrative in the sense thar biological questions may be studied from different ds and vantage points, ranging from molecules to whole organisms and even ecosystems. Many biologists use the comparative approach in studying molecules, structures, organisms, and ecosystems. This is necessary to understand the biodiversity and evolutionary changes that characterize the intricate but fascinating world of living organisms. Importance of Studying Biology Biology involves studying and examining other animals. It helps in understanding how these animals survive, respond, and interact in their environment. Other life forms are important because they play essential roles to keep the balance in the environment, specifically in the food chain. Animals such as mice, frogs, and monkeys also contribute in the study of biology because they are used as specimens to further understand the body systems. The science of biology also encompasses the study of different causative agents of diseases such as bacteria and viruses. By studying the life processes of these organisms, their reproductive cycles, and their reaction to chemicals, people learn ways to fight and prevent the spread of diseases caused by these agents of infection. Biology helps you respond to the demands of an increasing human population. Through careful study and research, plants and animals for consumption are improved to answer the need for increased food production. Biology also studies the reproduction and population growth of living organisms to assure that problems regarding overpopulation will be solved. Biology takes into its realm the study of plants. Plants are important as they provide humans with food, oxygen, medicines, and clothing. Many of the building materials of houses and furniture are from plants. Thus, biology takes upon itself to also study how the quality and quantity of these plants can be improved. As a result of humanmade and natural calamities, a great part of the environment is in danger of being destroyed. Many species of different organisms are in danger of extinction. Understanding biological processes that lead to such problems can help preserve these endangered species and their ecosystems. Above all, biology is important because it is a science that helps you think critically, make informed choices, and solve problems. A background in biology enables you to determine the biases of investigators, mass media, and other people you encounter; thus, guiding you to make sound judgments on biological scenarios you encounter in daily life. Biology as a Science One of the benefits of being a biology student is That you will become more familiar with the processes of science. Science is an objective, logical, and repeatable attempt to understand the principles and forces operating in the natural world. In a biological point of view, science is a body of systematized information about living things derived from observations and experiments. Knowledge in biology and is immense data is dependent on the study of structures and processes that need to be validated either directly or indirectly with the help of tools, such as microscopes, that extend the physical capacity of your senses. In order to make sense of the complexity of information about life, biologists blend two main approaches in scientific investigations, discovery-based science and hypothesis-based science. Discovery-based science relies mainly on verifiable observations and measurements. In order to make sense of the complexity of information about life, biologists blend two main approaches in scientific investigations, discovery-based science and hypothesis-based science. Knowledge Discovery-based of the cells up to the level of thescience relies mainly biosphere is based on discovery-based science on verifiable that is observations mostly describing nature. and measurements. Knowledge of the cells up to the level of the biosphere is based on discovery-based science that is mostly describing nature. The sequencing of human genome project, which simply shows a detailed dissection and description of human DNA, is an example of discovery-based science. However, when stimulated by the observations derived from discovery-based science and seeks to ask further questions and provide explanations, a scientist needs to apply another approach to science that provides answers by means of experimentation, and thus, embarks on an investigation. Such an inquiry requires proposing and testing of hypotheses, also known as hypothesis-based science. Hypothesis-based science involves the use of the scientific method, which is used as a guide by biologists in solving problems.  SCIENTIFIC METHOD OBSERVATION HYPOTHESIS EXPERIMENT CONCLUSION identifying and clearly formulating a possible conducting controlled formulating generalization defining the problem logical answer to the attempts to test one or more about the results that may identified problem hypotheses and includes accept, reject or modify recording and analyzing the hypothesis results