1) Living things are made up of 1 or more cells that contain DNA
2) Living things can carry out reproduction
a) Reproduction: Production of offspring
b) Species: group of organisms that can interbreed
and produce fertile offspring in nature
3) Living things grow and develop
a) Growth: an increase in the amount of living
material and the formation of new structures
b) Development: All of the changes that take place
during the life of an organism
1) Living things adjust to their environment
a) Environment: the air, water, weather,
temperature, organisms, etc. in an area
b) Stimulus: anything in an organisms environment
that causes the organism to react
c) Response: the reaction of an organism to a
stimulus
d) Example: Stimulus-cold winter without
food Response-bears hibernate
e) Homeostasis: Controlling an organism’s internal
system to maintain the conditions needed for
survival
f) Example of homeostasis: When your body starts
to overheat, you sweat to cool yourself off
2) Living things need energy
a) Energy: the ability to cause change
b) Energy comes from food
3) Living things adapt and evolve
a) Adaptation: A body structure, behavior, or
internal process that allows an organism to
respond to its environment and survive to produce
offspring
b) Evolution: The gradual change in a species
through adaptations over time
The Scientific Method
· The common steps that scientists use to gather
information and answer questions
1) Observe a problem and ask a question
2) Make a hypothesis
a) Hypothesis: an explanation to a question or
problem (educated guess) that can be tested
3) Conduct an experiment to collect data
a) Experiment: an investigation that tests a
hypothesis
b) Experiments can involve
i) A control group: the part of the experiment
that receives no experimental treatment
ii) An experimental group: The part of the
experiment that receives experimental
treatment
c) In experiments, only one condition is changed at
a time
i) an independent variable: the condition that is
tested
ii) a dependent variable: the condition that
changes due to the independent variable and is
measured
d) Data: information obtained from an
investigation (measurements, observations, etc.)
i) The data is analyzed in order to make
conclusions
4) Publish data and conclusions in scientific journals
for other scientists to read
5) Form a theory
a) Theory: a hypothesis that is supported by a
large body of evidence
6) Develop new hypotheses based on the theory
7) Revise the theory as new experiments are done
Safety
· Safety is the number one concern when doing a lab
· Lab procedures in your book show safety symbols
o Safety symbol: symbol that warns you about a
danger that may exist from chemicals,
electricity, heat, or procedures
o Be familiar with the safety symbols on p.1107
Different kinds of data
· Quantitative data: numbers from measurements,
counting, etc.
o In biology, we use the metric system to make
measurements
Ø meter: length
Ø gram: mass
Ø liter: volume
Ø second: time
Ø degree Celsius: temperature
· Qualitative data: written description from
observations
Ethics
· ethics: morals and values held by humans
· scientists might not consider all the possible
applications for their discoveries
· society must use ethics and take responsibility for
using science wisely
Technology
· application of scientific research to society’s needs
and problems
· technology improves our lives and the world around
us
· but sometimes, technology can also hurt our lives
or the world around us
