Reading: The Study of Biology

Four Unifying Principles

-Evolution
-Free Energy (including homeostasis)
-Information (gene theory)
-Systems (cell theory)

Vocab

Cell: The basic unit of structure and function of all living organisms.
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid): Double-stranded nucleic acid that composes genes and Chromosomes: the hereditary material.
Evolution: The change in the characteristics of living organisms over time; the change in species over time.
Gene: A segment of DNA that contains information to encode an RNA molecule or a single polypeptide.
Homeostasis: The process of maintaining a stable environment inside a cell or an entire organism.
Natural selection: Evolutionary process by which certain beneficial traits becomes more common within a population, changing the characteristics (traits) of a species over time.