Download Introduction/Biology Today

BIOL101:
General Biology
Lecture/Discussion MW 12:45-2:50
Lab F 8:30-11:40 Room 429
Contact Info
Dr. Cal Young
Office 411-17
Office Hours - M 10:00-12:00, W 10:00-12:00, Th 12:30-2:00
714-992-7434
[email protected]
http://staffwww.fullcoll.edu/cyoung
Text
Campbell’s Essential Biology with Physiology
Simon, Dickey, Hogan, Reece
5th edition
Syllabus
Important info
Policies
Changes
Course Website (different from MasteringBiology site)
Info cards (4 x 6 index card)
Name
Picture
e-mail address
Future goals
Something interesting about yourself
Favorite movie
Favorite physical activity
Major topics, concerns, questions in biology
Why are you taking this course?
Chapter
1
Introduction:
Biology Today
How is America’s scientific IQ?
Good: Almost 80% of adult Americans surveyed know that the continents are moving
on the surface of the Earth
Bad: About 25% think the sun goes around the Earth
Science has opened new avenues that had only been dreamed of previously
We are constantly being challenged to interpret scientific information and claims
Much of what we are faced with deals with life
Most humans have an innate interest about life
What is Science?
What is science?
What is the goal of science?
How do scientists go about trying to attain this goal?
What is Science?
Science is a body of knowledge - a collection of unified insights about nature, the
evidence for which is an array of facts
Science can also be defined as a way of learning - a process of coming to understand the
natural world through observation, questioning, and the testing of hypotheses
Discovery Science
We can consider two different scientific ways of learning
Discovery science
Hypothesis-driven science
Discovering new species or interactions is a very important part of biology
Often this makes use of new technology
Recorded information is called data and data are the pieces of information on which
scientific inquiry is based
This dependence on verifiable data demystifies nature and distinguishes science
from supernatural beliefs
Verifiable observations and measurements are the data of discovery science
Charles Darwin’s careful descriptions of the diverse plants and animals he
encountered during his voyage
Jane Goodall spent decades observing and recording the behavior of
chimpanzees living in Tanzania
Hypothesis-Driven Science
Often, these discoveries lead to further questions and eventually to hypothesisdriven science
As a formal process of inquiry, the scientific method consists of a series of steps that
provide a loose guideline for scientific investigations
Can theories be proved?
Scientific claims must be falsifiable, meaning capable of being shown wrong through
scientific inquiry
Scientific inquiry is limited to investigating natural (as opposed to supernatural)
explanations for natural phenomena
The unified insights of science are known as theories
A theory is a general set of principles, supported by evidence, that explains some aspect of
the natural world
For example, these are two hypotheses:
1. White fur is an adaptation that helps polar bears survive in their Arctic habitat.
2. The unusual bone structure in a hummingbird’s wings is an evolutionary
adaptation that provides an advantage in gathering nectar from flowers.
In contrast, the following theory ties together those seemingly unrelated hypotheses:
Adaptations to the local environment evolve by natural selection.
Truth in science can be defined as the working hypothesis best suited to open the
way to the next better one.
Konrad Lorenz
The Nature of Life
Life is defined by a group of seven characteristics possessed by all living things
Living Things
1. Are highly organized compared to inanimate objects
2. Maintain a relatively constant internal environment
3. Grow and develop over their lifetime
4. Assimilate energy
5. Respond to the environment
6. Reproduce
7. Evolve
Observations and humankind’s desire to categorize and classify has led to our
understanding of the hierarchy of life
OUR APPROACH TO STUDYING BIOLOGY
Throughout the semester, we will continually follow five major themes
Biology’s Unifying Principle
At first glance, you might think that biology is faced with an impossible task - explaining
both the incredible diversity of living organisms as well as the common characteristics
shared by all life
Biology’s chief unifying principle is evolution, the gradual modification of populations of
living things over time
This modification can result in the development of new species
Evolution provides the means for making sense of the diverse (endless?) forms and
processes seen in living things on Earth today
Life evolves
Each species is one twig on a branching tree of life that extends back through time
through ancestral species that are more and more ancient
Species that are very similar, such as the brown bear and the polar bear, share a
recent common ancestor that represents a relatively recent branch point on the tree
The whole of science is nothing more than a refinement of everyday thinking.
Albert Einstein
In the struggle for survival, the fittest win out at the expense of their rivals because
they succeed in adapting themselves best to their environment.
Charles Darwin