Chapter 1
The Study of Life
By Boundless
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Biology is the study of life and living things through rigorously-tested and peer-reviewed scientific research methods.
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Science is knowledge obtained from logical inferences and deductive experimentation that attempts to comprehend nature.
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The scientific method is a process by which observations are questioned; hypotheses are created and tested; and the results are analyzed.
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Basic science increases the knowledge base of a field of research while applied science uses that knowledge to solve specific problems.
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Publication of scientific research in a peer-reviewed journal allows other scientists access to the research.
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The field of biology can be divided into various branches and subdisciplines, which leads to careers that result in more focused fields.
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Key characteristics or functions of living beings are order, stimuli, reproduction, growth/development, regulation, homeostasis, and energy.
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The biological levels of organization range from a single organelle all the way up to the biosphere in a highly structured hierarchy.
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The diversity of life can be classified within the three major domains (Bacteria, Eukarya and Archaea) using phylogenetic trees.