Students,
Welcome to the first lecture for Principles of Biology I. This is an incredibly intense and fast-paced course. I suggest you attend every class, focus and listen while in class, take advantage of available tutoring, study regularly and complete all homework assignments on-time. Decide this evening what your goal is for this course. Make your goal very specific and devise a plan for achieving that goal. Please be prepared to work and to study
REGULARLY.
Dr. Ziska

Chapter 1

Life:

Chemical, Cellular and Evolutionary
Foundations

CHAPTER 1 OUTLINE/CORE CONCEPTS
1.1 The Scientific Method
The scientific method is a deliberate way of asking and answering questions about the natural world.
1.2 Chemical and Physical Principles
Life works according to fundamental principles of chemistry and physics.
1.3 The Cell
The fundamental unit of life is the cell.

CHAPTER OUTLINE/CORE CONCEPTS
1.4 Evolution
Evolution explains the features that organisms share and those that set them apart.
1.5 Ecological Systems
Organisms interact with one another and with their physical environment, shaping ecological systems that sustain life.
1.6 The Human Footprint
In the 21st century, humans have become major agents in ecology and evolution.

Chapter 1 Introduction
Biology:
The science of how life works; a natural science concerned with the study of life and living organisms- including their structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution and taxonomy
– Biologists study life and living organisms

Why bother studying biology?
Scientists study the living world to answer questions about the unknown.
We study biology to understand the pathology behind a disease and to find a cure for that disease.
We study the environment to improve air quality and to maintain a safe water source.
Why are you studying biology?
• Do you want to apply to nursing school?
• Are you a mechanical engineering student?
• Do you dream of attending pharmacy school?
• Are you interested in public health and the Ebola cases in Western Africa?

1.1 The Scientific Method
Core Concept: The scientific method is a deliberate way of asking and answering questions about the natural world. How do we attempt to understand the vast and complex world around us?
How do we answer questions about the unknown?
For most scientists, studies of the natural world involve the complementary processes of observation and experimentation. The Scientific Method
Observation: the act of viewing the world around us; observations allow us to ask focused questions about nature Experimentation: a disciplined and controlled way of asking and answering questions about the world in an unbiased way

The Scientific Method

Observation: a hummingbird hovering at a white flower and occasionally dipping its long beak into the bloom
Questions:
Are hummingbirds attracted to the color white?
Is the hummingbird feeding on something inside the flower?
Why does the hummingbird pay so much attention to the flower? Does the flower benefit from the bird’s behavior?

The Scientific Method
Observations and the questions they raise allow scientists to propose tentative explanations, or hypotheses.
Hypothesis is a tentative explanation for an observation.

A good hypothesis makes predictions about observations not yet made or about experiments not yet run.
A good hypothesis is also testable. That is, we can devise an experiment to see whether the predictions made by a hypothesis actually occur OR we can go into the field and make more observations.

The Scientific Method

After observing the hummingbird and asking questions about the event, the following hypothesis is constructed:
Hummingbirds are strictly attracted to the color white.

There are two main ways to test this hypothesis:
1. Devise an experiment
2. Make more observations in the field

The Scientific Method

The Scientific Method

Based upon further observations, I reject the hypothesis that hummingbirds are strictly attracted to the color white.