Biology Chapter 1

Front 1

asexual reproduction

Back 1

process by which a single parent reproduces by itself

Front 2

biology

Back 2

science that seeks to understand the living world

Front 3

cell

Back 3

collection of living matter enclosed by a barrier that separates the cell from its surroundings; basic unit of all forms of life

Front 4

cell culture

Back 4

group of cells grown in a nutrient solution from a single original cell

Front 5

cell fractionation

Back 5

technique in which cells are broken into pieces and the different cell parts are separated

Front 6

compound light microscope

Back 6

microscope that allows light to pass through a specimen and uses two lenses to form an image

Front 7

controlled experiment

Back 7

a test to the effect of a single variable by changing it while keeping all other variables the same

Front 8

data

Back 8

evidence, information gathered from observations

Front 9

electron microscope

Back 9

microscope that forms an image by focusing beams of electrons onto a specimen

Front 10

homeostasis

Back 10

process by which organisms maintain a relatively stable internal environment

Front 11

hypothesis

Back 11

possible explanation for a set of observations or possible answer to a scientific question

Front 12

inference

Back 12

logical interpretation based on prior knowledge and experience

Front 13

manipulated variable

Back 13

factor in an experiment that a scientist purposely changes, also known as independent variable

Front 14

metabolism

Back 14

set of chemical relations through which an organism builds up or breaks down materials as it carries out its life processes

Front 15

metric system

Back 15

decimal system of measurement based on certain physical standards and scaled on multiples of 10

Front 16

microscope

Back 16

device that produces magnified images of structures that are too small to see with the unaided eye

Front 17

observation

Back 17

use of one or more of the senses - sign, hearing-touch smell and sometimes taste to gather information

Front 18

responding variable

Back 18

factor in an experiment that a scientist wants to observe, which may change, in response to the manipulated variable, also known as a dependent variable

Front 19

science

Back 19

organized way of using evidence to learn about the natural world; also, the body of knowledge that scientist have built up after years of using this process

Front 20

sexual reproduction

Back 20

process by which two cells from different parents unite to produce the first cell of a new organism

Front 21

spontaneous generation

Back 21

hypothesis stating that life could arise from nonliving matter

Front 22

theory

Back 22

well tested explanation that unifies a broad range of observations