1.S: Unit 1 Summary

In Unit 1, we learned about the study of biology, science as a process, and the interplay of science and culture.

Unit 1.2

Biology is the science of life. All living organisms share several key properties such as order, sensitivity or response to stimuli, reproduction, growth and development, regulation, homeostasis, and energy processing. Living things are highly organized parts of a hierarchy that includes atoms, molecules, organelles, cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems. Organisms, in turn, are grouped as populations, communities, ecosystems, and the biosphere. The great diversity of life today evolved from less-diverse ancestral organisms over billions of years. A diagram called a phylogenetic tree can be used to show evolutionary relationships among organisms.

Biology is very broad and includes many branches and subdisciplines. Examples include molecular biology, microbiology, neurobiology, zoology, and botany, among others. Biology is the culmination of the achievements of the natural sciences from their inception to today. Excitingly, it is the cradle of emerging sciences, such as the biology of brain activity, genetic engineering of custom organisms, and the biology of evolution that uses the laboratory tools of molecular biology to retrace the earliest stages of life on earth. A scan of news headlines—whether reporting on immunizations, a newly discovered species, sports doping, or a genetically-modified food—demonstrates the way biology is active in and important to our everyday world.

Unit 1.3

Biology is the science that studies living organisms and their interactions with one another and their environments. Science attempts to describe and understand the nature of the universe in whole or in part by rational means. Science has many fields; those fields related to the physical world and its phenomena are considered natural sciences. Two types of logical reasoning are used in science. Inductive reasoning uses particular results to produce general scientific principles. Deductive reasoning is a form of logical thinking that predicts results by applying general principles. The common thread throughout scientific research is the use of the scientific method, a step-based process that consists of making observations, defining a problem, posing hypotheses, testing these hypotheses, and drawing one or more conclusions. The testing uses proper controls.

Pseudoscience is a claim, belief, or practice that is presented as scientific, but does not adhere to scientific standards and methods. Indicators of pseudoscience include untestable claims, lack of openness to testing by experts, absence of progress in advancing knowledge, and attacks on the motives and character of critics. Some pseudosciences, including astrology, remain popular. This suggests that many people do not possess the scientific literacy needed to distinguish pseudoscience from true science, or to be convinced by scientific arguments against them. Belief in a pseudoscience such as astrology is unlikely to cause harm, but belief in pseudoscientific medical treatments may be harmful. In addition to pseudoscience, other examples of the misuse of science include scientific hoaxes, scientific frauds (such as the MMR vaccine-autism fraud), and scientific fallacies (such as the correlation-causation fallacy).

Unit 1.4

Science can be basic or applied. The main goal of basic science is to expand knowledge without any expectation of short-term practical application of that knowledge. The primary goal of applied research, however, is to solve practical problems. Scientists present their results in peer-reviewed scientific papers published in scientific journals. A scientific research paper consists of several well-defined sections: introduction, materials and methods, results, and, finally, a concluding discussion. Review papers summarize the research done in a particular field over a period of time.

In Unit 2, we will learn about macroevolution, speciation, and microevolution.