1.3 STUDYING LIFE

The study of life and the science of understanding how life works is known as

A possible life form is grown on a petri dish, which is a small plastic dish covered with another plastic dish. In the petri dish a gelatin rich in glucose, lipids, and amino acids has been added for the life form to grown on. When this gelatin is later tested, it appears that the amount of one type of amino acid has substantially decreased while a new nitrogen containing compound has been added to the medium. When examined under a microscope, it becomes clear that the life form is made up of many small oval shapes. What characteristic of life has NOT been positively identified yet?

A marine organism, which looks like a yellow blob, is kept in an aquarium for observation. One morning you notice a lump growing out of the organism that gets larger each day. On the fifth day you awake to see that the lump has fallen off of the organism and seems to be surviving. After three additional days it becomes clear that this second individual is thriving and surviving as well as the original organism. What characteristic of life have you probably observed and what term most correctly describes this characteristic?

Which big idea in biology is MOST concerned with DNA?

What properties must ALL living things possess?

The physical processes of nature do not allow for the controlled chemistry needed inside of living things. All living things must, therefore, control their internal environment in some way to keep things constant and ideal for this chemistry of life. This is a characteristic of life called

Under a microscope, all living things are composed of smaller units observable under high magnifications. Even the smallest of living things are at least one of these units of life. What characteristic of life is being described here?

DNA can be copied and placed within new cellular material allowing for the creation of whole new organisms that are the same species as the parent. All living things can do this in one way or another and it is known as

The smallest unit of life is called a ____________.

The long term survival of a species and continuation of life depends upon both reproduction and _________________ .