BiologyMidtermVocabSwavely Flashcards
from Mr. Swavely's Quizlet group (110 cards)
biology
Study of life
AIDS
Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome caused by HIV
growth hormone
A hormone released by the anterior pituitary that targets all cells in the body. Growth hormone stimulates whole body growth in children and adolescents, adn increases cell turnover rate in adults.
bioethics
Branch of study of moral issues, questions, & problems arising in the practice of medicine & biomedical research is called
evolution
Change in a kind of organism over time; process by which modern organisms have descended from ancient organisms.
scientific method
A series of steps followed to solve problems including collecting data, formulating a hypothesis, testing the hypothesis, and stating conclusions.
hypothesis
A testable prediction, often implied by a theory
theory
A well-substantiated explanation of some aspect of the natural world.
law
A statement that summarizes or describes the observations about our world and experiments
natural selection
Process by which individuals that are better suited to their environment survive and reproduce most successfully; also called survival of the fittest
adaptation
A characteristic that improves an individual’s ability to survive and reproduce in a particular environment.
variation
Any difference between individuals of the same species.
pseudoscience
A fake or false science that makes claims based on little or no scientific evidence.
law of conservation of matter
Mass cannot be created or destroyed during a chemical reaction.
atom
Smallest unit of matter that retains the properties of an element
atomic mass
The average mass of all the isotopes of an element
atomic number
Number of protons in an atom
molecule
A group of atoms held together by covalent bonds.
element
A pure substance made of only one kind of atom
compound
A substance made up of atoms of two or more different elements joined by chemical bonds
proton
A subatomic particle that has a positive charge and that is found in the nucleus of an atom
nucleus
A cell structure that contains nucleic acids, the chemical instructions that direct all the cell’s activities.
neutron
A subatomic particle that has no charge and that is found in the nucleus of an atom
electron
A subatomic particle that has a negative charge