Biology Week 2: Understanding life
Day 1 |
Day 2 - 3 |
Day 4 |
Lab 1 |
Lab 2 |
Weekly Quiz|
Quizstar
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- Life
- Organization
- Cell
- Tissue
- Organ
- Organ system
- Organism
- Energy
- Hydrolysis
- Macromolecule
- polymer
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- Response
- Growth
- Reproduction
- Adaptation
- Ethics
- Biochemistry
- Organic compound
- Microscope parts
- Dehydration synthesis
- Monomer
- Homeostasis
- Glucose molecule
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- Carbohydrate
- Monosaccharide
- Disaccharide
- Polysaccharide
- Protein
- Amino Acid
- Lipid
- Nucleic acid
- Magnification
- Polar molecule
- ATP, ADP, AMP
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Life is Defined by its Characteristics
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What is needed for a species to survive? |
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Exactly what life is and how it starts is one of the most difficult problems in science. There is no simple statement that can be used to define life. The only sure way to define life is to describe its characteristics.
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The seven characteristics of life are:
- Composed of cells:
- Single-cell organisms have everything they need to be self-sufficient.
- In multicellular organisms, specialization increases until some cells do only certain things.
- Organization:
- Both molecular and cellular organization.
- Living things must be able to organize simple substances into complex ones.
- Living things organize cells at several levels:
- Tissue - a group of cells that perform a common function.
- Organ - a group of tissues that perform a common function.
- Organ system - a group of organs that perform a common function.
- Organism - any complete living thing.
- Use energy:
- Living things take in energy and use it for maintenance and growth.
- Response:
- Living things will make changes in response to a stimulus in their environment.
- A behavior is a complex set of responses.
- Growth:
- Cell division - the orderly formation of new cells.
- Cell enlargement - the increase in size of a cell.
- Reproduction:
- Reproduction is not essential for the survival of individual organisms, but must occur for a species to survive.
- All living things reproduce in one of the following ways:
- Sexual reproduction - Producing offspring by the joining of sex cells.
- Asexual reproduction - Producing offspring without the use of gametes.
- Adaptation:
- Adaptations are traits giving an organism an advantage in a certain environment.
- Variation of individuals is important for a healthy species.
Day 1 Assignment - Understanding life
Scoring criteria
Right click on this 
and select, "save target as" and save the video to the desktop. After the video has downloaded do the following:
- Watch the video, "The Characteristics of Living Things"
- List and number the characteristics of living things given in the video.
- On the same page list the characteristics of living things given on this web page.
- Compare the two list by drawing connecting lines between the two list connecting similar characteristics (multiple lines may go to one characteristic).
- If any items on each list cannot be matched put them on a separate list.
Honors biology: Complete the following 7 questions.
- Do all living things have all of the characteristics of life? If your answer is no, give an example.
- Name some non-living thing that uses energy.
- Name some non-living thing that grows.
- There are many theories used to describe how life started on Earth. Use the links provided for information to write one paragraph about each of these theories:
- panspermia
- carbonaceous chondrite
- A better known theory about the origins of life on Earth is called creationism. Use the website provided to read the description of creation from the first chapter of Genesis in the King James version of the Bible.
- Who wrote the book of Genesis?
- On which day did plants appear?
- On which day did the sun and moon appear?
- On which day did life appear in the oceans?
- On which day did animals that walk on the land appear?
- What was the last living thing to be created?
- What is your hypothesis as to how life started on earth?
- Do you think that our planet is the only planet with life? Explain your answer.
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Did you use the Lab Key last week? As the labs become more difficult, the Keys will become more important to your success. The Lab Keys are here to help, but you must use them to plan what you will do in the lab before you come to class on lab day.
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Week 2 - Understanding life: Day 2 - 3
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What is the minimum length of an essay? |
Anthropologist
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ETHICS:
A system defining right and wrong.
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A system of ethics is usually established by each culture. Right and wrong behaviors are often different from one culture to another. We even see differences in ethics within a single culture. Many areas of disagreement are found in things having to do with the life sciences.
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Here are just a few areas in life science that involve ethics:
Human life - beginning and ending
Heredity - parents and offspring
Genetics - manipulating genes
Cloning - should it be done on humans what are the +'s & -'s
Human rights - for the group or the individual
Animal rights - animal rights vs. human rights
Drug use - unlimited implications
Use of the environment - at what financial cost
Quality of human existence - for which generation
Stem cells - what are the possibilities for tissue rejuvenation
Day 2,3 Assignment - Understanding life
This assignment must be turned in by the end of class tomorrow to receive credit.
Honors biology: Only complete the Honors section below.
- What are ethics?
- What are your ethics?
- Why are ethics such an important part of the life sciences?
- Who decides what is right and wrong?
- Why are ethics different throughout the world? Give examples.
- Research and list two specific ethical issues involving biology.
- Give a brief (one paragraph) summary, in your words, of each item in question 6.
- What is your position on the two issues you found? Explain.
Honors biology
- Review science essays.
- Use this planning guide to write an essay about ethics in some area of life science.
- Before beginning the essay, study this essay evaluation rubric. The rubric shows you how to make a good score on the essay.
Turn in the essay and the rubric with the self-evaluation portion completed to your science facilitator.
Remember to always staple the rubric on top of the paper the rubric was used on.
Research Links:
Individuals must reproduce if a species is to survive.
An essay must have at least three paragraphs.