key words Flashcards
(23 cards)
cell theory
theory that states that all organisms are composed of cells, and that all cells come from pre-existing cells
centi-
metric prefix 1/100th or 1 x 10^-2
coarse focus
dial used to initially focus a light microscope on a specimen
differentiation
the alteration of cell’s morphology and physiology through changes in gene expression
emergent property
a property of a system that emerges from the interaction of the elements of the system
gene expression
the synthesis of a functional gene product, often protein, but also rRNA, tRNA, or snRNA
growth
an increase in physical size
homeostasis
the process in which an organism regulates activities within cells and their bodies to keep conditions stable
magnification
ratio of image size to actual size
metabolism
the sum of all of the chemical reactions that occur within an organism or within a cell
micro-
metric prefix 1 x 10^-6
milli-
metric prefix 1 x 10^-3
nano-
metric prefix 1 x 10^-9
objective lens
the part of the microscope that gathers light from the specimen and focuses it to produce a real image
paramecium
genus of single celled ciliated organisms
reductionism
an approach to science that holds that a complex system can be best understood as the sum of its parts, and that variables can be studied in isolation
response
in behavioural science, the behaviour that is the consequence of a stimulus
scale bar
a means of visually indicating the magnification of an image
stargardt’s disease
a degenerative eye disease that has been the target of stem cell research
stem cell
a relatively undifferentiated cell that can give rise to other types of cells and retains the ability to divide
surface area to volume ratio
a variable that decreases as cells grow, so that it sets a limit to the size of cells
system
a level of organization that emerges due to the interaction of elements
tissue
a group of cells with a common function and structure
