Biology is the study of life, which examines living organisms such as their cellular structure, energy use, growth, response to the environment, and evolution. It uses the scientific method of making observations, asking questions, generating hypotheses, and performing tests to build theories and gain an understanding of the natural world. Some key themes in biology include evolution, inheritance, cells, biological classification, bioenergetics, homeostasis, and ecosystems. Studying biology helps address needs of human populations and biodiversity challenges while also raising controversial issues around topics like endangered species and biomedical research.

1. Biology: What Is the Study of Life?

2. Why Study Biology?
• Two important reasons for studying Biology:
– Biology is relevant to our everyday experience
• Medical advances
• Addressing needs of growing human population
• Challenges of decreasing rate of biodiversity
• Biotechnology advances

3. Why Study Biology?
– Biology can be
controversial
• Examples:
– Dealing with
endangered
species?
– Use of human fetal
tissue in biomedical
research?
– Safety of irradiated
foods?
Figure 1-1c

4. What is Biology?
• It is the study of life.
• Branch of science
– A way of understanding nature.
• A human endeavor
– An attempt to understand, explain, integrate
and describe the world of living things.

5. What is Life?
• Living organisms:
– Highly organized and
complex.
– Are composed of one
or more cells.
– Contain a blueprint of
their characteristics.
– Acquire and use
energy.
– Carry out and control
numerous reactions.

6. What is Life?
• Living organisms:
– Grow.
– Maintain constant
internal environment.
– Produce offspring.
– Respond to
environmental
changes.
– May evolve.
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7. Biology is a Branch of Science
• Both an activity and body of knowledge.
• A way of understanding the natural world.
– Scientists make predictions and test those
predictions.

8. Major Themes in Biology
• Evolution by Natural
Selection
• Inheritance
• Cells
• Biological
Classification
• Bioenergetics
• Homeostasis
• Ecosystems

9. How is Biology studied?
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10. Scientific Method
• Begins with
observations about
our surroundings.
• Next, ask questions
about the phenomena
we are observing.

11. Scientific Method
• Followed by
generating a
hypothesis.
– Tentative explanation
to the question.

12. Scientific Method
• Testing
– Scientists perform
tests to determine the
accuracy of their
hypothesis.

13. Scientific Method
• Explanation
– It is a hypothesis that
has passed the widest
and most
comprehensive series
of tests.
– Still subject to review
and consideration.
– May be elevated to a
theory = well
demonstrated
principle.