Chapter 1 Introduction to Biology

Biological Science

B I O L O G Y

Dr. Maria Belen Ynzon GustoDDM, BSED Major in

Biological Science, MED Major in Chemistry (ongoing)

Faculty at FQDMFSSHS Biology and Basic Physics

Science

- Careful- Disciplined- Logical search

for knowledge

• all aspect of the universe and always subject to correction and improvement upon discovery of better evidence.

Scientific Method

• Logical way to solve a problem or answer a question

Steps1. Observation2. Formulation of

hypothesis3. Collecting data4. Publishing results5. Forming a theory6. Developing a new

hypothesis7. Revising the theory

Fields of Science

• Natural Science – deal with nature a. Physical Science – deals with the study of

nonliving things ex. Chemistry, Physics. Astronomy b. Biological Sciences – deals with the study of

living things ex. Biology, Botany, Zoology, Ornithology

Social Sciences – deal with human relations or the study of

man in his group activities.Ex. History, Economics, Political

Science

Pure and Applied Science

Pure science – basic research done for the sake of knowledge itself.

Applied science – makes practical use of this knowledge.

BIOLOGY

-is the science of life-- it is the study of the

structures, functions and relationships of living-things or

organisms.

Living Things

Structure – refers to the way the body is organized.

All forms of life are made up of the same basic structural unit

that carries on the basic functions necessary for the

maintenance and the perpetuation of life.

Characteristics of Life1. Movement/Locomotion2. Excretion3. Reproduction4. Respiration/Homeostasis5. Irritability/Sensitivity/Adaptability6. Nutrition7. Growth

Brief History of Biology

The early Greeks were the first known biologists

- Biological investigations and everything in nature was controlled

by different gods.

Natural Philosophers

• Aristotle – the Father of Biology, was one of the greatest natural philosophers who lived in the Golden Age of Greece

• Galen – a Roman physician, became the greatest authority of the human anatomy, obtained knowledge from the dissection of animals.

• Andreas Vesalius• William Harvey – he study and trace the

circulation of blood

Marie Francois Bichat-discovered that organs were composed of tissues.

Carolous Linnaeus-binomial system of nomenclature

Robert Hooke-discovered cell as the basic unit of structure of tissues

Anton Van Leeuwenhoek-microscopeLouis Pasteur

• Gregor Mendel• Charles Darwin• Alexander Fleming• James Watson and Francis Crick-DNA double

helix model• Frederick Sanger and Walter Gilbert-DNA

sequencing technology• Georges J.F Kohler and Cesar Milstein-use

antibodies in medicine as diagnostic and therapeutic agents

• Kary Mullis-polymerase chain reaction-diagnosis of genetic diseases

FIELDS OF BIOLOGY

• Biology is the science of life.Two major divisions are:a. Botany-the study of plants or florab. Zoology-the study of animals or

fauna

Areas of specialization

A. Morphology-study of structures and forms1. Gross Morphology- study of external

structures2. Anatomy-study of internal structures as

revealed by dissection a. Cytology-the study of the structure

and functions of cells.

b. Histology-the study of tissues c. Organology-the study of organs3. Physiology- the study and functions of parts of an organism4. Ecology- the study of the relationship between the organism and its environment5.Taxonomy- the study of the systemic classification and scientific naming of organisms6. Genetics- the study of heredity and variation

7. Embryology- the study of the growth and development of an organism within the

fertilized egg8. Evolution- the study of origin and

differentiation of different kinds of organisms9. Paleontology- the study of fossils of living

things and their distribution in time10. Pathology- the study of plant and animal

diseases11. Biochemistry- the study of chemical

processes occurring within the living matter

12. Entomology- the study of insects13. Helminthology- the study of worms14. Ichthyology- the study of fishes15. Ornithology- the study of birds16. Herpetology- the study of reptiles17. Malacology- the study of mollusks18. Protozoology- the study of protozoans19. Conchology- the study of shells20. Anthropology- the study of man21. Mammalogy- the study of mammals22. Phycology- the study of algae23. Mycology- the study of fungi

24. Pteridology- the study of ferns25.Agrostology- the study of grasses26. Bacteriology- the study of bacteria27. Microbiology- the study of microscopic organisms28. Lichenology- the study of lichens

Modern Biological Tools and Techniques1. Microscopy – examine small objects2. Cell and Tissue Culture – grow cells or

tissues outside the living organism3. Centrifugation – separates cells or cell

organelles4. Chromatography - purify biological

molecules5. Gel Electrophoresis – separate and visualize

proteins or nucleic acids

6. Spectrophotometry – determine the concentration of proteins or nucleic acids in a solution7. Polymerase Chain Reaction – make copies of a given DNA fragment using an enzyme called DNA polymerase8 DNA Sequencing – determine the sequence of nucleic acids present in a given gene of DNA fragment9. Immunoassays – identify a particular disease or the presence of bacterial and viral infections ex. Pregnancy test

10. DNA Cloning – used to produce large quantities of specific DNA fragments11. Microarrays (Gene Chips) – used to identify genes involved in the different processes inside the cell

Summary:Biology – is the science that deals with the study of life processes of living organisms and the search for solutions to problems associated with them.

Biologists – use the scientific method to solve biological problems

Biology is divided into many branches and specialized fields that correlate and overlap with one another.

The study of Biology is important because it helps us to understand the hows and whys of living systems

Living things exhibit unique characteristics that make them different from non-living things.

Modern biology is the study of organized knowledge contributed by many biologists from different generations.

There is a wide variety of choices in terms of career options and opportunities in biology.

The raid advancements in biology is the result of the development of modern tools and techniques to study biological problems.

Twenty-first century biology is characterized by rapid developments in biotechnology and molecular biology.