INTRODUCING TO LIFE AND LIVING THINGS

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Aristotle (384 322 BC)

Proposed the theory of spontaneous generation Also called abiogenesis Idea that living things can arise from nonliving matter Idea lasted almost 2000 years

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Spontaneous Generation

For centuries, people based their beliefs on their interpretations of what they saw going on in the world around them without testing their ideas They didnt use the scientific method to arrive at answers to their questions Their conclusions were based on untested observations

Examples of Spontaneous Generation

Example #1 Observation: Every year in the spring, the Nile River flooded areas of Egypt along the river, leaving behind nutrient-rich mud that enabled the people to grow that years crop of food. However, along with the muddy soil, large numbers of frogs appeared that werent around in drier times Conclusion: It was perfectly obvious to people back then that muddy soil gave rise to the frogs

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What is Biology ? The study of Living Things Bio = life logy = knowledge

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How to Study Biology ?

So many new words ! know some common prefix and suffix e.g.. photosynthesis photo = light synthesis = to combine together to combine some elements together by using the energy from sunlight
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Basic characteristics of living things

Nutrition
Take food for energy, growth and repair

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Basic characteristics of living things

Respiration
Gaseous exchange (breathing) Oxidation of food to produce energy

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Basic characteristics of living things

Excretion
Removal of metabolic wastes (not faeces)

Basic characteristics of living things

Growth
Increase in size and complexity

Basic characteristics of living things

Reproduction
Produce babies of the same species

Basic characteristics of living things

Irritability
Respond to stimuli

Basic characteristics of living things

Movement
Animals: Whole organism moves from place to place Plants: Only part of its organ can move about
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Life is tenacious, and it completely permeates the surface layer of the planet. We find life beneath the deepest ocean, on the highest mountain, in the driest desert and the coldest glacier, and deep down in the crystal rocks and sediments. Not knowing what conditions are needed for the
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The Big Bang

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How life began

Our planet earth, soon after it was formed some 4500 million years ago, now seems like an alien world where no living thing could survive. The earths atmosphere comprised of: Little or no oxygen Toxic gases like carbon monoxide, methane and ammonia, together with nitrogen and hydrogen. These above and dense clouds of water vapour were blasted into the sky from numerous active volcanoes and hot springs. The world was also exposed to UV light and intense heat from the sun, flashes of lightning during frequent violent thunderstorms, and 12/24/12

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The Miller Experiment

When scientists set about solving the problem of how life began, they first looked for a source of the chemicals out of which living things are made. They devised a theory, that under the primitive Earths conditions, the complex chemicals of life could form from simple, inorganic precursors. In 1953, Stanley Miller tested the theory:

Miller essentially put methane, or natural gas, ammonia, hydrogen gas, and water vapour into a beaker, based on the theory of what the primordial atmosphere would have looked like. Next, he simply put an electric charge through that

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On analysis of the vessel, rather than only having methane and ammonia, he actually had amino acids, which are the building blocks of proteins, fatty acids and other complex biological molecules. So the chemistry that Miller was discovering in this wonderful experiment was not some improbable chemistry, but a chemistry that is widely distributed throughout our solar system. The experiment used water (H2O), methane (CH4), ammonia (NH3) and hydrogen (H2).

The chemicals were all sealed inside a sterile array of glass tubes and flasks connected together in a loop, with one flask half-full of liquid water and another flask 12/24/12 containing a pair of electrodes.

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The liquid water was heated to induce evaporation, sparks were fired between the electrodes to simulate lightning through the atmosphere and water vapour, and then the atmosphere was cooled again so that the water could condense and trickle back into the first flask in a continuous cycle.

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Lifes Beginnings

These chemicals of life accumulated in lakes and ponds, where they changed, combined, and re-combined in millions of different ways over vast periods of time. Complexity increased until cell like structures appeared with the first major characteristics of life: the ability to reproduce and grow, feeding on materials from the primordial soup in which they formed. About a thousand million years later, cells appeared which changed the course of evolution. They developed the green pigment chlorophyll, which enabled them to use sunlight energy to make food from water and carbon dioxide, releasing oxygen into the Earths atmosphere for the first time. These, the first plants gave rise to the Plant Kingdom we know today. They not only maintain an oxygen rich atmosphere, but make the food upon which all other life

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Characteristics of living things

It is not always an easy thing to tell the difference between living, dead, and non-living things There a few set of rules which are followed by scientists to classify something as living:

Living Living Living Living Living Living

things things things things things things

are made of cells. obtain and use energy grow and develop reproduce respond to their environment adapt to their environment

Examples of living things: Dogs, Cockroaches, Plants, YOU. Examples of non living things: Stones, wood, water, fire.

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Looking more closely:

Living things move and have senses: Animals walk, run, hop, swim, crawl or fly. They find their way using sense organs eyes, ears, noses, taste buds, skin and insect feelers called antennae. Plants move by growing. They do not have sense organs but respond to the environment roots show positive geotropism, and hydrotropism as they grow downwards in response to gravity and water, and shoots show positive phototropism in response to water. Living things feed: Plants make their own food in their leaves by a process called sunlig photosynthesis. chloroph ht yll Carbon dioxide + Water Glucose + Oxygen

Animals cannot make their own food, and hence, they rely on plants, and/or other animals for their source of food.
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Living things respire: They get energy from food by a process called respiration. This usually needs oxygen.

Food + Oxygen Carbon Dioxide)

ENERGY + Waste (Water +

Living things excrete: All living things produce waste. The removal of waste from their bodies is called excretion. Animals excrete through their lungs and kidneys, and through their skin, when they sweat. Plants store waste in old leaves, which fall in the autumn. Living things reproduce and grow: Animals lay eggs, or have babies, whereas seeds from plants grow into new plants. Animals stop growing when they reach their adult size. Plants grow all their lives.

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Needs of living things

What do you need to live comfortably? The list probably includes food, a home, clothes, and water. But, the basic necessities of every living thing includes: Light and Carbon Dioxide: All life forms need energy to survive. Living things use energy to grow, to defend themselves, and to move around this energy is provided by the Sun the primary source of energy. Plants use sunlight and carbon dioxide from the air to create their own food by photosynthesis. Many animals then eat the plants, taking this energy into their own bodies. Other animals then eat these plant eaters, passing the Sun's energy from one organism to another. The food organisms take in provides them with energy, and also provides them with the resources, and raw materials they need to build up their bodies, grow, and repair 12/24/12

The amount of energy in all the coal, and oil reserves on Earth is equal to only 20 days of sunlight that reaches the Earth.

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Water: > Living things need water to survive. But why is water so important? All life forms on Earth are comprised almost entirely of water. Your own body is about 66% water.

> Water in your blood helps transport food, and chemicals to your cells. It helps remove waste products from your body. Water is used to cool you down, to warm you up, and to carry out the chemical reactions that allow you to move and grow. Another important use of water, is to keep your body clean. > Plants use water to grow, to transport food, and to carry out chemical reactions. In addition, plants use water as part of photosynthesis, to create their own food.

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Oxygen: Without food, your body would die in a matter of weeks. Without water, you would day in days. How long do you think you would live without oxygen? Most life forms use oxygen as the main ingredient in many of the chemical reactions needed for life. Organisms get oxygen from their environment in a variety of ways. Many land animals breath oxygen directly from the air, while ocean bearing animals often use the oxygen dissolved in the water to survive. Minerals: The Earths soil contains minerals, which are essential for health and growth. Plants take in minerals through their roots. Animals get minerals by eating plants and/or other animals. Warmth: If it gets too hot or cold, the chemical changes which are necessary for life will stop. In many parts of the Earth, temperatures lie between 25deg Celsius and 30deg Celsius. Most living things are adapted to live at these 26 12/24/12

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The biosphere: > Biosphere is all those parts of the earths surface where living things are found. All of the needs we have mentioned so far, energy, food, water, and oxygen are obtained by organisms in their environment, or the space around them. > The amount of resources found in an environment are often limited. There is only a certain amount of food, to be found. There may not be enough water, for all to drink. For this reason, living things need space. > Living things are found almost everywhere, from about 9000 metres up mountains to at least

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Cells

The cell is the structural and functional unit of all known living organisms. It is the smallest unit of an organism that is classified as living, and is sometimes called the building block of life. Our skin, muscles, brain are all made of cells. Humans have an estimated 100 trillion cells. The largest known cell is an ostrich egg.

INSIDE AN ANIMAL CELL: Cell membrane semi permeable protection around the cell. Cytoplasm Jelly-like substance, containing hundreds of chemicals, where lots of chemicals reactions take place. It fills the cell. Nucleus it controls what a cell does, and how it develops. Vacuole this is a space within the cell containing air, liquids, or food particles. Animals cells usually have several small vacuoles.
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Cells are not all the same shape. There are about 20 different cells in our bodies, which are specialised to do different jobs. Red blood cells Disc shaped and their job is to carry oxygen round the body. White blood cells They can change their shape as they attack germs. They provide immunity and fight against diseases. Nerve cells Have long thin fibres, which carry nerve impulses messages around the body. INSIDE A PLANT CELL: Cell wall Made of cellulose. It covers the cell membrane. Cell Membrane Semi permeable protection around the cell. Cytoplasm - Jelly-like substance, containing hundreds of chemicals, where lots of chemicals reactions take place. It fills the cell. Vacuole present in all plant cells. Contains liquid called cell sap. Chloroplasts tiny discs full of green substance called chlorophyll. They trap the light energy that plants need to

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STRUCTURE OF A PLANT CELL

Cell

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