INTRODUCTION

TO LIFE SCIENCE
CONTENT STANDARDS
•The learners demonstrate the
understanding of:
• the historical development of
the concept of life
• the origin of the first life forms
• unifying themes in the study of
life
LEARNING COMPETENCIES
The learners will
1.explain the evolving concept of life based on emerging
pieces of evidence
2.describe classic experiments that model conditions
which may have enabled the first forms to evolve
3.describe how unifying themes (e.g., structure and
function, evolution, and ecosystems) in the study of life
show the connections among living things and how they
interact with each other and with their environment.
Why Study Biology?

• Two important reasons for studying Biology:

• Biology is relevant to our everyday experience
• Medical advances
• Addressing needs of growing human population
• Challenges of decreasing rate of biodiversity
• Biotechnology advances
Why Study Biology?
• Biology can be
controversial
• Examples:
• Dealing with endangered species?
• Use of human fetal tissue in biomedical
research?
• Safety of irradiated foods?
What is Biology?
• It is the study of life.
• Branch of science
• A way of understanding nature.
• A human endeavor
• An attempt to understand, explain, integrate and describe the world of
living things.
What are the characteristics of Life?
• Living organisms:
• Highly organized and
complex.
• Are composed of one or
more cells.
• Contain a blueprint of their
characteristics.
• Acquire and use energy.
• Carry out and control
numerous reactions.
What is Life?
• Living organisms:
• Grow.
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• Maintain constant internal
environment.
• Produce offspring.
• Respond to environmental
changes.
• May evolve.
 Fortunately, biologists have developed a list of eight characteristics shared by
all living organisms. Characteristics are traits or qualities.
Here is the list of characteristics shared by living things:

 Cellular organization
 Reproduction
 Metabolism
 Homeostasis
 Heredity
 Response to stimuli
 Growth and development
 Adaptation through evolution
Biology is a Branch of Science
• Both an activity and body of knowledge.
• A way of understanding the natural world.
• Scientists make predictions and test those predictions.
How is Biology studied?
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 Scientific Theory

• Is a body of interconnected concepts

• Is supported by much experimental evidence and
scientific reasoning
• Expresses ideas of which we are most certain
Scientific Method
• Begins with observations
about our surroundings.

• Next, ask questions

about the phenomena
we are observing.
Scientific Method
• Followed by generating
a hypothesis.
• Tentative explanation to
the question.
Scientific Method
• Testing
• Scientists perform tests to
determine the accuracy of
their hypothesis.
Scientific Method
• Explanation
• It is a hypothesis that has
passed the widest and most
comprehensive series of
tests.
• Still subject to review and
consideration.
• May be elevated to a theory
= well demonstrated
principle.
BIOLOGY as a broad Science is
consist of branches.
• Zoology- the study of animals.
• Botany-study of plants.
• Microbiology-study of microorganisms.
• Cytology-study of cells.
• Genetics-study of heredity and variation.
• Ecology-study of ecosystem.
• Taxonomy-study of classification of org.

etc.
These branches of study are
Natural Sciences.
•Living things on Earth share
common characteristics or
properties typically not found in
inanimate object, and are
clustered into themes called,
UNIFYING THEMES in the study
of life.
 UNIFYING Themes in Biology
1. Cellular Composition
2. Hierarchical Organization
3. Structure & Function
4. Evolution by Natural Selection
5. Inheritance
6. Bioenergetics
7. Homeostasis
8. Ecosystems
1. Celluar Composition
According to the Cell theory…
– All organisms composed of
cells
– Cells are life’s basic units
– All cells come from
preexisting cells
2. Organizational Hierarchy

• Living systems show hierarchical organization

– Cellular level
•Atoms, molecules, organelles
•Cell is the basic unit of life
– Organismal level
•Tissues, organs, organ systems
– Populational level
•Population, community
3. Structure and Function
• The proper function of a molecule is dependent on its structure
• The structure of a molecule can often tell us about its function
• Four major classes of Biomolecules
1. Nucleic Acids
2. Amino Acids
3. Lipids
4. Carbohydrates

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4.Reproduction and Inheritance
• All organisms produce new organisms like themselves REPRODUCE
• Organisms transmit hereditary information to their offspring
INHERITANCE

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5. Evolution by Natural Selection/
Evolutionary conservation
– All organisms today descended from a simple
creature 3.5 billion years ago
– Some characteristics preserved – use of DNA
– Conservation reflects that they have a fundamental
role
– “Survival of the fittest”. Those that are unfit are dis
selected against.
6. Ecosystem
-Interplaying of components in an ecosystem.
-Everything is connected with everything else.
7. Diversity of life arises by evolution
– Underlying unity of biochemistry and genetics
argues for life from the same origin event
– Diversity due to evolutionary change over time
– 3 domains
•Bacteria – single-celled prokaryote
•Archaea – single-celled prokaryote
•Eukarya – single-celled or multicellular eukaryote
8. Inheritance/Molecular basis of inheritance
– Deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA)
– Sequence of 4 nucleotides encode cell’s information
– Gene – discrete unit of information
– Genome – entire set of DNA instructions
– Continuity of life depends on faithful copying of DNA
into daughter cells
9. Homeostasis
-Maintaining balance in and out of the cell condition
* Cell transport
-hypotonic, isotonic and hypertonic solutions
-Achieving constant body temperature
And many others….
FIND THEM OUT!!!!!!

STUDENT DELIVERABLE:

Collage of the Unifying Themes in

the STUDY OF LIFE