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| New properties that arise with each step upward in the hierarchy of life, owing to the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases. |
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| An approach to studying biology that aims to model the dynamic behavior of whole biological systems based on a study of the interactions among the system's parts. |
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| Increase in temperature and change in weather patterns all around the planet, due mostly to increasing atmospheric CO2 levels from the burning of fossil fuels. The increase in temperature, called global warming, is a major aspect of global climate change. |
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| A type of cell with a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles. Organisms with eukaryotic cells (protists, plants, fungi, and animals) are called eukaryotes. |
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| A type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and membrane-enclosed organelles. Organisms with prokaryotic cells (bacteria and archaea) are called prokaryotes. |
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| A double-stranded, helical nucleic acid molecule, consisting of nucleotide monomers with a deoxyribose sugar and the nitrogenous bases adenine (A), cytosine (C), guanine (G), and thymine (T); capable of being replicated and determining the inherited structure of a cell's proteins. |
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| A discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA, in some viruses). |
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| The process by which information encoded in DNA directs the synthesis of proteins or, in some cases, RNAs that are not translated into proteins and instead function as RNAs. |
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| The genetic material of an organism or virus; the complete complement of an organism's or virus's genes along with its noncoding nucleic acid sequences. |
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| The study of whole sets of genes and their interactions with in a species, as well as genome comparisons between species. |
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| The use of computers, software, and mathematical models to process and integrate biological information from large data sets. |
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| A form of regulation in which accumulation of an end product of a process slows the process; in physiology, a primary mechanism of homeostasis, whereby a change in a variable triggers a response that counteracts the initial change. |
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| A form of regulation in which an end product of a process speeds up that process; in physiology, a control mechanism in which a change in a variable triggers a response that reinforces or amplifies the change. |
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| One of two prokaryotic domains, the other being Archaea. |
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| One of two prokaryotic domains, the other being Bacteria. |
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| The domain that includes all eukaryotic organisms. |
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| A process in which individuals that have certain inherited traits tend to survive and reproduce at higher rates than other individuals because of those traits. |
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| An approach to understanding the natural world. |
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| The search for information and explanation, often focusing on specific questions. |
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| A type of logic in which generalizations are based on a large number of specific observations. |
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| A testable explanation for a set of observations based on the available data and guided by inductive reasoning. A hypothesis is narrower in scope than a theory. |
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| A type of logic in which specific results are predicted from a general premise. |
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| An experiment in which an experimental group is compared with a control group that varies only in the factor being tested. |
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| An explanation that is broader in scope than a hypothesis, generates new hypotheses, and is supported by a large body of evidence. |
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| A particular species chosen for research into broad biological principles because it is representative of a larger group and usually easy to grow in a lab. |
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| The application of scientific knowledge for a specific purpose, often involving industry or commerce but also including uses in basic research |
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| A covalent bond between atoms that differ in electronegativity. The shared electrons are pulled closer to the more electronegative atom, making it slightly negative and the other atom slightly positive. |
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| A molecule (such as water) with an uneven distribution of charges in different regions of the molecule. |
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| The linking together of like molecules, often by hydrogen bonds. |
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| The clinging of one substamce to another, such as water to plant cell walls by means of hydrogen bonds. |
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| A measure of how difficult it is to stretch or break the surface of a liquid. Water has a high surface tension because of the hydrogen bonding of surface molecules. |
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| The energy associated with the relative motion of objects. Moving matter can perform work by imparting motion to other matter. |
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| The total amount of kinetic energy due to the random motion of atoms or molecules in a body of matter; also called thermal energy. Heat is energy in its most random form. |
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| A measure of the intensity of heat in degrees, reflecting the average kinetic energy of the molecules. |
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| A temperature scale (C) equal to 5/9(F - 32) that measures the freezing point of water at 0 C and the boiling point of water at 100 C. |
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| The amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1 g of water by 1 C; also the amount of heat energy that 1 g of water releases when it cools by 1 C. The Calorie (with a capital C), usually used to indicate the energy content of food, is a kilocalorie. |
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| A thousand calories; the amount of heat energy required to raise the temperature of 1 kg of water by 1 C. |
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| A unit of energy: 1 J = 0.239 cal; 1 cal = 4.184 J. |
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| The amount of heat that must be absorbed or lost for 1 g of a substance to change its temperature by 1 C |
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| The quantity of heat a liquid must absorb for 1 g of it to be converted from the liquid to the gaseous state. |
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| The process in which the surface of an object becomes cooler during evaporation, a result of the molecules with the greatest kinetic energy changing from the liquid to the gaseous state. |
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