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Chapter 1. Human Biology, Science, and Society. The Characteristics of Life. How are living things different from nonliving things? Living things Have different molecular structure than nonliving things Require energy and raw materials Are composed of cells (continued).
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Chapter 1 Human Biology, Science, and Society
The Characteristics of Life • How are living things different from nonliving things? • Living things • Have different molecular structure than nonliving things • Require energy and raw materials • Are composed of cells • (continued)
The Characteristics of Life • Living things (continued) • Maintain homeostasis • Respond to their external environment • Grow and reproduce • Populations are capable of evolving PLAY Animation—Signs of Life
A Five-Kingdom Classification • Monera: single-celled prokaryotes • Animalia: eukaryotic animals, heterotrophs • Plantae: eukaryotic, photosynthetic plants • Fungi: eukaryotic, decomposers (fungi, yeast, mushrooms) • Protista: eukaryotic protozoa, algae, slime molds
Defining Features of Humans • Bipedalism • Opposable thumbs • Large brain • Capacity for language
Levels of Biological Organization • Atom and molecule • Cell • Tissue • Organ • Organ system • Community • Ecosystem • Biosphere
Levels of Biological Organization (cont.) Figure 1.7
The Scientific Method Figure 1.8
Steps in the Scientific Method • Observe and generalize • Formulate a hypothesis • Make a testable prediction • Experiment or observe • Modify the hypothesis as necessary and repeat PLAY Animation—The Scientific Method
Ways to Disseminate Findings • Peer-reviewed journals • Popular press • Electronic publications
Hypothesis versus Theory • For a hypothesis to become a theory it must • Be broad • Be extensively tested • Be supported over time • Explain a broad range of facts • Have a high degree of reliability • Theories may be refuted in the future
Learning to Be a Critical Thinker • Become a skeptic • Appreciate the value of statistics • Learn to read graphs • Distinguish anecdotes from scientific evidence • Separate facts from conclusions • Understand the differences between correlation and causation PLAY | The Safety of Dietary Supplements
The Role of Science in Society • Science improves technology and the human condition • Science has limits • Science helps us to make informed choices