Chapter I

Biology:
The Study of
Life
By: Dr. Iis Nur Asyiah

Introduction to Biology
Objectives :
Define biology.
Identify possible benefits from studying biology.
Summarize the characteristics of living things

Main Idea :
All living things share the characteristics of
life.

The Science of life

People have always been curious about
living thingshow many different kinds
there are, where they live, what they
are like, how they relate to each other,
and how they behave. The concepts,
principles, and theories that allow
people to understand the natural
environment form the core of biology,
the study of life.

Figure 1.1

Predict the types of

questions you would ask if
you observed chimpanzee
behavior.

What do biologists do?

Study the diversity of life
Jane Goodall, shown in Figure 1.1,
studied chimpanzees in their natural
environments. She studied and recorded
chimpanzee reproductive habits and their
aggressive nature. She learned that they
use tools. Goodalls data provided a better
understanding of chimpanzees, and as a
result, scientists know how to best protect
them.

Through your study of biology, you will come

to appreciate the great diversity of life on
Earth and the way all living organisms fit into
the dynamic pattern of life on our planet.
BioFacts
There are approximately 200 billion stars
that make up the Milky Way galaxy.
Humans are 1 out of an estimated 100
million species of life on Earth.
The human brain is made up of 100 billion
neurons.

 Research diseases
Many
biologists
research
diseases.
Questions such as What causes the
disease?, How does the body fight the
disease?, and How does the disease
spread? often guide biologists research.
Biologists worldwide are researching new
medicines for such things as lowering
cholesterol
levels,
fighting
obesity,
reducing the risk of heart attacks, and
preventing Alzheimers disease.

 Develop technologies
When you hear the word
technology, you might think of
high-speed computers, cell
phones, and DVD players.
However, technology is defined
as the application of scientific
knowledge to solve human
needs and to extend human
capabilities. Figure 1.3 shows
how
new
technologya
bionic
handcan
help
someone who has lost an arm.

Figure 1.3 A
prosthetic bionic
hand is new
technology
that can help
extend human
capabilities.
Figure 1.3 A prosthetic bionic
hand is new technology that can help
extend human capabilities.

 Improve agriculture
Some biologists study
the
possibilities
of
genetically engineering
plants to grow in poor
soils or to resist insects,
fungal infections, or frost
damage. Other biologists
research
agricultural
issues to improve food
production to feed the
worlds growing human
population.

Figure 1.4 Joanne Chory, a plant

biologist,
researches how plants respond to

 Preserve the environment

Environmental biologists seek to prevent
the extinction of animals and plants by
developing ways to protect them. Some
biologists study the reproductive strategies
of endangered species while they are in
captivity. Other biologists work in nature
preserves that provide safe places for
endangered species to live, reproduce, and
have protection against poachers.

Biologists study the interactions

of the environment
Because no living things, including
humans, exist in isolation, the study of
biology must include the investigation of
living interactions. For example, learning
about a population of wild rabbits would
require finding out what plants they eat
and what animals prey on them. The
study of one living thing always involves
the study of the others with which it
interacts.

 Apa yang akan terjadi apabila semua

kucing di dunia ini mati?..............

The Characteristics of
Life
Have you ever tried to define the
word alive? If you were to watch a
grizzly bear catch a salmon from a
river, you obviously would conclude
that the bear and salmon are both
alive. Is fire alive? Fire moves,
increases in size, has energy, and
seems to reproduce, but how does
fire differ from the bear and salmon?

Made of one or more

cells
All organisms are made of one or
more cells. The cell is the basic unit
of life. Some organisms, such as the
Paramecium sp., are unicellular.

Displays organization
The
levels
of
organization
in
biological systems begin with atoms
and molecules and increase in
complexity. Each organized structure
in an organism has a specific
function.

Grows and develops

Growth results in an increase in mass.
Development results in different
abilities. A bullfrog tadpole grows and
develops into an adult bullfrog.

Living things make more living

things/Reproduces

Living things adjust to their

surroundings/Responds to stimuli
Organisms live in a constant interface
with
their
surroundings,
or
environment, which includes the
air, water, weather, temperature, any
other organisms in the area, and
many other factors.

 Reactions to internal and external

stimuli are called responses. This
cheetah responds to the need for
food by chasing a gazelle. The
gazelle responds by running away.

Explain How does this plant respond to

stimuli to obtain food?

Requires energy
Energy is required for all life
processes. Many organisms, like this
squirrel, must take in food. Other
organisms make their own food.

Maintains homeostasis
All
organisms
keep
internal
conditions stable by a process called
homeostasis. For example, humans
perspire to prevent their body
temperature from rising too high.

Living things adapt and evolve

The Nature of Science

Objectives :
Explain the characteristics of science.
Compare something that is scientific with
something that is pseudoscientific.
Describe the importance of the metric
system and SI.

Main idea :
Science is a process based on inquiry that
seeks to develop explanations.

What is science?
Have you ever wondered how science is
different from art, music, and writing?
Science is a body of knowledge based
on the study of nature.
Biology is a science, as are chemistry,
physics, and Earth science
The nature, or essential characteristic,
of science is scientific inquiry

 Scientific inquiry is both a creative

process and a process rooted in unbiased
observations
and
experimentation.
Sometimes scientists go to extreme
places to observe and experiment

This volcanologist is
near molten lava
flowing from Mount
Etna.
Lava
temperatures
can
reach 750C.

 Relies on evidence : That person

probably meant that he or she had a
possible explanation about
something. Scientific explanations
combine what is already known with
consistent evidence gathered from
many observations and experiments.

 Expands scientific knowledge

:How can you know what
information is science-based? Most
scientific fields are guided by
research that results in a constant
reevaluation of what is known.

 Challenges accepted theories :

Scientists welcome debate about one
anothers ideas. They regularly attend
conferences and meetings where they
discuss new developments and
findings. Often, disagreements occur
among scientists. Then additional
investigations and/or experiments are
done to substantiate claims.

 Questions results : Observations

or data that are not consistent with
current scientific understanding are
of interest to scientists. These
inconsistencies often lead to further
investigations.

 Tests claims : Whenever biologists

engage in research, they use
standard experimental procedures.
Science-based information makes
claims based on a large amount of
data and observations obtained from
unbiased investigations and carefully
controlled experimentation.

 Undergoes peer review : Before it is

made public, science-based information is
reviewed by scientists peersscientists
who are working in the same field of study.
Uses metric system : Scientists can
repeat the work of others as part of a new
experiment. Using the same system of
measurements helps make this possible.
Most scientists use the metric system
when collecting data and performing
experiments.

Section 1.3

The Methods of Biology

Objectives
Compare different scientific
methods.
Differentiate among hypothesis,
theory, and principle.

What is science?
Have you ever wondered how science is
different from art, music, and writing?
Science is a body of knowledge based on
the study of nature. Biology is a science, as
are chemistry, physics, and Earth science.
The nature, or essential characteristic, of
science is scientific inquiry.
Science is a process based on inquiry
that seeks to develop explanations.

 Why does rain bring out the

worms?
If you have ever Wondered why
earthworms appear after a rain, then
you have used methods like scientists
use to develop experiments. Scientists
use many different methods to answer
questions, but all scientific inquiries
share some common methods.

Scientific Methods
Scientific methods are used by scientists
to answer questions and solve problems.
The development of the cell theory, one of
the most useful theories in biological
science, illustrates how the methods of
science work. In 1665, Robert Hooke first
observed cells in cork. He made the
drawing on the right, showing what he
saw.

A.Observing
The first step toward scientific
discovery often takes place when a
scientist observes something no one
has noticed before. After Hookes
discovery, other scientists observed
cells in a variety of organisms.

B. Making a hypothesis
A hypothesis is a testable explanation or answer to
a question. In 1824, Ren Dutrochet hypothesized
that cells are the basic unit of life. A scientific
hypothesis must have two important qualities

It must be testable
It must be falsifiable
C. Collecting data
Data can support or disprove a hypothesis. Over
the years, scientists who used microscopes to
examine organisms found that cells are always
present.

D. Publishing results
Results of an investigation are useful only
if they are made available to other
scientists for a peer review. Many
scientists published their observations of
cells in the scientific literature. Scientists
will analyze the procedure, examine the
evidence, identify faulty reasoning, point
out statements that go beyond the
evidence,
and
suggest
alternative
explanations for the same observations.

E. Forming a theory
A theory is a hypothesis that is
supported by a large body of
scientific evidence. By 1839, many
scientific observations supported the
hypothesis
that
cells
are
fundamental to life. The hypothesis
became a theory.

F. Developing new hypotheses

A new theory may prompt scientists
to ask new questions or form
additional hypotheses. In 1833,
Robert Brown hypothesized that the
nucleus is an important control
center of the cell.

G. Revising the theory

Theories are revised as new
information is gathered. The cell
theory gave biologists a start for
exploring the basic structure and
function of all life. Important
discoveries, including the discovery
of DNA, have resulted.

Scientific
Methods
a. Observation
b. Hypothesis
c. Experiment
d. Theory

REVIEW
What is biology?
Living things abound almost everywhere
on Earthin deep ocean trenches, atop
the highest mountains, in dry deserts,
and in wet tropical forests. Biology is the
study of living organisms and the
interactions among them. Biologists use
a variety of scientific methods to study
the details of life.

Soal quiz
Why is energy required for living
things? How do living things obtain
energy?