Biology is the scientific study of life.

Science is a way of knowing the truth about the natural world.

2 underlying principles are critical to science
1) Causality- the occurence of events is due to natural causes
2) Uniformity- the laws of nature operated and always will operate in the same way
Reasoning in Science
Scientific Reasoning- intellectual method to get at the truth
a) Inductive reasoning- reaching a conclusion based upon a number of observations that is
going from the specific to the general
b) Deductive reasoning- other side of the coin
Scope and subdivisions of Biological Sciences
Botany- study of plants
Zoology- study of animals
Anatomy- structural oranization of plants and animals
Bacteriology- deals with the study of bacteria
Biochemistry- deals with substances found in living organisms
Biophysics- study of biological phenomena
Biotechnology- body of technology related to the use of organisms, cells for the purpose of developing
products.
Cytology- study of the structure and function of cells
Ecology- study of the relationship of plants and animals to their physical and biological environment
Embryology- deals with the development of living organism
Entomology- deals with the study of insects
Evolution- studies the process whereby all living things on earth have diverged.
Genetics- study of how physical, biochemical, and behavioral traits are transmitted from parents to their
offsprings.
Histology- microscopic study of animal and plant tissues
Mammalogy- study of mammals or animals with glands.
Neuroscience- concerned with the embryology, anatomy, physiology,biochemistry of the nervous
system.
Paleontology- deals with the studyt of fossils
Parasitology- study of parasites
Pharmacology- study of the origin, nature, properties of drugs
Physiology- study of the physical and chemical processes that take place in living organisms
Sociobiology- investigates biological bases of social behavior of animals
Taxonomy- deals with the classification of plants and animals

Hypothesis- tentative solution or generalization to a problem

Theory- general truth about the natural world but not yet generally accepted.
Scientific law- once the theory is universally accepted it becomes a law
Scientific method- combination of the creative reasoning and testing of hypothesis
Step by step procedures:
1) Identify the problem
2) Gather specific data or information
3) Formulate a hypothesis
4) Experiment and series of observation
5) Formulate conclusion or generalization
6) Communicate the result
7) Apply the result
Scientific attitude- is a way of looking at things governed by factsbased on observations
The following are attitudes that one should possess in order to become more successful in the chosen field

A belief that problems have solutions

A respect for power of theoretical structure
A thirst for knowledge, an intellectual drive
Ability to seperate fundamental concepts from the irrelevant or unimportant
Ability to suspend judjment
An appreciation of probability and statistics
An automatic preference for scientific explanation
An understanding that all knowledge has tolerance limits
Awareness of assumptions
Determinism
Empathy for the human conditon
Empirism
Loyalty to reality
Parsimony
Precision
Respect for quantification and appreciation of mathematics as language of science
Respect for scientific paradigms
Scientific manipulation
Skepcticism
Willingness to change opinion
Limitations of Science
1) Science cannot answer questions about value
2) Science cannot answer questions of morality
3) The scientific method is limited in that it cannot deal with the unique
4) Finally, science cannot help us with questions about the supernatural.
5)

Bilogy as study of life

Life- refers to the conditions or properties exhibited only by living things.
Living things are classified according to plants,animals and humans
Characteristics of living things
1) Cellular organization
Organelle- structures that taken together make up cell
Cell- the simplest entity with all properties if life
Organ- group of tissuesserving same function
System- group of organs that perform the same function
Organism- species
Population- group of individuals of the same species in a given area.
2) Metabolism
3) Movement or Motility
4) Irritability of responsiveness
5) Reproduction
6) Growth and development
7) Living things evolve
8) Addaptiveness
Theories of life
1) Divine creation theory- states that life is created by an extraordinary being
2) Abiogenesis theory- theory stationg that life originated from non-living matters
3) Biogenesis theory- theory states that life came from pre-existing life
4) Theory of evolution- there is a gradual change in the characteristics of an organism that includes
the genetical makeup and physical characteristics.
5) Mutation Theory
Chevalier de Lamarcks Concepts of Evolution
1) Theory of needs
2) Theory of use and disuse
3) Theory of inheritance of acquired traits
Charles Drwins Natural Selection theory- this refers to the non- random survival of randomly varying
hereditary units, resulting in the evolution and maintenace of adaptive improvements.
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)

OVERPRODUCTION
STRUGGLES FOR EXISTENCE
VARIATIONS OF CHARACTERS
SURVIVAL OF THE FITTEST
TRANSMISSIONS OF VARIATIONS OF CHARACTERS