Human Biology Concepts and Current issues Chapter 1

Human Biology Concepts and Current issues § Chapter 1 § Science, and Society § Characteristics of Life § Levels of Organization § Scientific Method Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

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 Maintain homeostasis Respond to their external environment Grow and reproduce Populations are capable of evolving Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

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 Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Defining Features of Humans § Bipedalism § Opposable thumbs § Large brain § Capacity for language Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Levels of Biological Organization § Atom and molecule § Cell § Tissue § Organ system § Community § Ecosystem § Biosphere Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Levels of Biological Organization (cont. ) Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. Figure 1. 7

The Scientific Method Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc. 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 § Peer review Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

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 Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

Learning to Be a Critical Thinker § Become a skeptic § Appreciate the value of statistics § Learn to read graphs § Separate facts from conclusions Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.

The Role of Science in Society § Science improves technology and the human condition § Science helps us to make informed choices § Science has limits Copyright © 2009 Pearson Education, Inc.