Overview
Why Biology Matters
- We are living in the golden age of biology. Biological discoveries revolutionize medicine, change agriculture and impact human culture.
- Science is a way of knowing and exploring our natural world.
- Understanding how science is done reveals the power and limits of this form of knowledge.
- Life is united not by a single trait, but by a common set of characteristics. Appreciating what it means to be living is as complex as life itself.
- The diversity of life is nested into groups that are united and interrelated by their shared evolutionary histories.
- Life exists at many levels of biological organization. Understanding how these levels interrelate provides insight into the mechanisms of living systems.
Chapter Objectives
- Describe the rationale for having a section of each chapter titled “Biology and Society”.
- Describe how biologists test new ideas and how each step in the process relates to other steps.
- Use scientific criteria to evaluate studies or claims, including distinguishing among hypotheses, theories, and facts.
- Evaluate the strength of conclusions based on examining an experiment and the resulting data.
- Describe the properties or processes we associate with life.
- Evaluate an object to determine if it is alive.