Chapter 2- The Chemical Basis of Life

Q: What are the four main chemicals that are present in living matter?
A: The four main chemicals that can be found in all living matter/organisms are oxygen, carbon, hydrogen, and nitrogen.
Q: What is a trace element and how do they benefit humans?
A: Trace elements are elements that are needed by all living organisms. Trace elements are often added to certain foods such as cereal to increase the nutritional value of the food for health purposes.
Q: How is it that radioactive elements are be beneficial to humans?
A: Radioactive elements can be beneficial in the sense that they can help prevent as well as diagnose certain diseases or health issues that one may encounter. In small dosages, these elements will not harm the human body and with help make it healthier. For example using radioactive treatment in order to kill off cancerous cells. In high dosages this can prove to be fatal or cause mutations and other health issues.

Five main facts:
1) All living organisms are composed of about 25 chemical elements. There are some other elements that may be found in certain forms of life but these consist of the main elements.
2) Radioactive tracers are used by medical experts in order to help diagnose patients with certain ailments.
3) Covalent bonds are a strong chemical bond in which two atoms share electrons.
4) Ice is less dense then water because when water freezes it forms into a crystal and the bonds between the water molecules are all at equal distances from each other.
5) Buffers are biological fluids that help minimize the changes in pH.

This photo depicts how water molecules are arranged when it freezes. As shown, there is an equal distance between all of the hydrogen bonds and they appear of be very stable. 

When reading this chapter, it introduced to the reader that before studying biology, one must understand what life is made up of. All living organisms are made up of elements which can be broken down to atoms wich can be broken down into subatomic particles. Chemical bonding is how certain elements are able to join up with each other and why they are able to do this. This chapter also alluded as to why water is able to support so much life. The pH scale states how things are measured in terms of acidity. 

Key Terms:

1) Matter: anything that occupies space and has mass

2) Element: a substance that cannot be broken down to other substances by ordinary chemical means

3) Compound: substance consisting of two or more different elements combined in a fixed ratio

4) Proton: a subatomic particle with a single positive electrical charge

5) Electron: a subatomic particle with a single negative electrical charge

6) Neutron: a subatomic particle with  neutral electrical charge

7) Molecule: two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds 

8) Heat: amount of energy associated with the movement of atoms and molecules in a body of matter

9) pH scale: describe how acidic or basic a solution is

10) Chemical reaction: making and breaking of chemical bonds, leading to changes in the composition of matter

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M8tTELZD5Ek

Chapter 1-Biology: Exploring Life

Q: How is it that ecosystems are so efficient?
A: Ecosystems are efficient because ever aspect of the environment is put into play. Also the multitude of organisms that inhabit each ecosystem play a major role in the efficiency aspect. Rocks are broken down by roots of trees and other plants which allow for more fertile soil and denser vegetation. Even when animals die they are recycled back into the earth. Ecosystems are efficient because they are a constant cycle that are very difficult to break.
Q: Why do scientists break down things into specific categories?
A: Scientists use categories in order to organize and keep track of organisms as well as their interactions within the biosphere. Scientists do this in many different ways. They use categories to breakdown how organisms interact with one another as well as the different types of organisms that there are throughout the world.
Q: How effective are experiments?
A: When experiments are done in a proper manor they can be quite effective and allow for a multitude of questions to be answered. This allows for scientists to come to even more conclusions and possibly even form new hypothesis' that can be tested.

Five Facts:
1) DNA is the blueprint that allows for life to happen.
2) There are two types of cells, prokaryotic and eukaryotic.
3) There are seven properties that all organisms posses, order, regulation, growth and development, energy processing, response to the environment, reproduction, evolutionary adaptation.
4) There are three main domains, bacteria, archaea, and eukarya. These three domains include all living organisms.
5) Evolution is in our everyday lives. We are constantly surrounded by it and can be reminded of it simply by looking at people of a different nationality or the different types of birds we see on a daily basis.

This diagram shows the difference between a prokaryotic and eukaryotic cell. As this diagram clearly shows, a prokaryotic cell is much smaller and less complex then a eukaryotic cell. Prokaryotic cells have fewer organelles and are commonly referred to as bacteria. 

Chapter Summary:

Chapter 1 introduced to the reader the basic concept and idea of biology. Within the hierarchy of life, the interactions of the steps of life allow for more properties to be revealed. Cells are the basis for all life to exist and this can be broken down into atoms and DNA that hold the genetic blueprint for all life. There are three domains in which all life can be put into, Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. Thanks to Darwins theory of evolution, the idea of natural selection has opened the eyes to many scientists who study taxonomy. This chapter also explained how evolution is within society and everyday life. 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4N_V6FdB3qQ

Terms:

1) Biosphere: consists of all the environments on Earth

2) Consumers: organisms that eat plants and other animals

3) Emergent properties: new properties that emerge with each step upward in the hierarchy of life, owing   to the arrangement and interactions of parts as complexity increases

4) Prokaryotic cell: much simpler and usually much smaller then a eukaryotic cell

5) Domains: three kingdoms of life that biologists have agreed upon

6) Natural selection: survival of the fittest

7) Theory: an explanation of a much broader scope 

8) Ecosystem: consists of all the organisms living in a particular area

9) Molecule: cluster of atoms held together by chemical bonds

10) Genes: units of inheritance that transmit information from parents to offspring