BCOR 11 – Exploring Biology

Lecture 1 08/29/05

IntroductionDr. Mike VaydaDr. Don Stratton

TODAY’S TOPICS

Course Operations

Principles of Living Things

Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes

The Basis for Scientific DiscoveryHypothesis testing through data collection

Course Fundamentals

Scope and Purpose:Cellular Biology ModuleMolecules, Cell Physiology, Molecular Genetics

Course Homepage:www.uvm.edu/~biology/classes/011/

Text: Biology, 7th Edition by Campbell and Reece

Lecture Schedule, Assigned Readings:www.uvm.edu/~biology/classes/011/?page=lecsched.html

Exams:Sept 23, Oct 19, Nov 14Final Exam week of Dec 10

Take best 2 out of 3

REQUIRED

No make up exams

Exam Format: multiple, multiple choicecan have 1 or more correct answers

Must come to our sectionsB or D

REVIEW SESSION before each exam

4. The molecule pictured at right :a. Is an amino acidb. Contains a chiral carbon c. Is a nucleic acid monomerd. Is soluble in watere. Is the left handed form of a stereoisomer paird. Is a building block of proteinse. Is alaninef. Is glutamic acidg. Is glucoseh. Has a polar R-groupj. Was downloaded from Howard Dean’s Web Site

1. Water can spontaneously dissociate to form:a. Two political partiesb. H+ and OH- speciesc. Hydrophobic and hydrophilic speciesd. Na+ and Cl- speciese. Chiral (handed) carbonsf. Membrane-bound organellesg. Ionsh. Hydrogen bonds to nonpolar functional groupsj. Democratic presidential candidates

k. dipoles

STRATEGIES FOR SUCCESS

Come to ClassTake notes, ask questions, review frequentlyRead the Book!

Office Hours: Vayda - call 6-0555 or mvayda@uvm.eduStratton – call 6-9371 or donald.stratton@uvm.edu

Study with friends, classmates

Tutoring available from Living and Learning6-4075 (Dave DiElsi)

Lecture and Lab

Concepts vs. Techniques

MoleculesWaterMacromoleculesCell StructuresEnergeticsCellular BiochemistryCell DivisionMolecular Genetics

MicroscopyImmunocytochemistryBacterial transformationProtein isolation and

characterizationDNA isolation and

characterization

Lectures NOT coupled to Labs

GRADING

200 pts – hour exams200 pts – final exam200 pts – Laboratory 100 pts – Assignments (through Lab)700 pts TOTAL

Academic Honesty- exams- lab write ups

QUESTIONS on Course Operations ?

Chapter 1 Readings Topics

Properties of Living ThingsTypes of Cells

Emergent PropertiesReductionism, Systems Biology

Feedback

Taxonomy

Evolution

Hypothesis Driven Science

Figure 1.2

(c) Response to the environment

(a) Order

(d) Regulation

(g) Reproduction (f) Growth and development

(b) Evolutionary adaptation

(e) Energy processing

We recognize life by what organisms do:

Create order

RegulateTheirDomain

Control energy flow

ProduceOffspring

grow

respond

Adapt throughNatural Selection

Biosphere

Ecosystem

Community

Population

Species

Individual Multicellular Organism

System

Organ

Tissue

CELL

CELL

Sub-cellular Organelles

Sub-cellular Complexes

Macromolecules

Monomeric molecules

Atoms

Subatomic Particles-protons-neutrons-electrons

4. Build COMPLEX STRUCTURES from simple structuresmonomers polymers

Fundamental Life ProcessesFundamental Life Processes1. The CELLCELL is the basic unit of life

2. All cells come from pre-existing cells

3. Cells Delineate INSIDE from OUTSIDE OUTSIDE compartmentscontrol the microenvironment - MEMBRANES

5. Life Requires ENERGY INPUTENERGY INPUT, because of 3 & 4, because of 3 & 4going uphillgoing uphill

6. ORGANIZATION (SPATIAL INFORMATION)heredity, cell organization, self-assembly – informational surfaces

Concentrate things against gradients

Create ORDER and COMPLEXITY

Chapter 1 Readings Topics

Properties of Living ThingsTypes of Cells

Emergent PropertiesReductionism, Systems Biology

Feedback

Taxonomy

Evolution

Hypothesis Driven Science

Two Broad Two Broad Classes of CellsClasses of Cells

ProProkaryoteskaryotes EuEukaryoteskaryotesPro = before Eu = true

karyon = nucleus

DO NOT HAVEA NUCLEUS

NO internal membranes

HAVEA NUCLEUS

membrane-bound organelles

bacteria, cyanobacteria archaebacteria

plantsAnimals

fungi

Relative SizesRelative Sizes

“Typical” ~ 1-2 M Bacterium

“Typical” ~ 5 to 20 M diameter Animal Cell

“Typical” ~ 5 to 50 M diameter Plant Cell

M = micrometer or micron =10-6 meter

Milli micronano

Tissues

Cells Organelles MacromolecularComplexes

Proteins MacromoleculesMolecules/Atoms

Animal Cell (Eukaryotic)

Internalmembrane-bound

Organelles

Bacterial Cell(Prokaryotic)

Nointernal

membranes

Bacterial cell (Prokaryotic

On the samesize scale:

Animal Cell (Eukaryotic)

Species Genus Family Order Class Phylum Kingdom Domain

Mammalia

Ursusameri-canus(Americanblack bear)

Ursus

Ursidae

Carnivora

Chordata

Animalia

EukaryaFigure 1.14

• Classifying lifeTAXONOMY – grouping of organisms with similar

characteristics

Unity in the Diversity of Life• As diverse as life is

– There is also evidence of remarkable unity

Cilia of Paramecium.The cilia of Parameciumpropel the cell throughpond water.

Cross section of cilium, as viewedwith an electron microscope

15 µm

1.0 µm

5 µm

Cilia of windpipe cells. The cells that line the human windpipe are equipped with cilia that help keep the lungs clean by moving a film of debris-trapping mucus upward.Figure 1.16

Genetic MechanismsBiochemistryCellular Components,

organization, function

The SCIENTIFIC METHOD

1. FORMULATE a reasonable hypothesis to Explain an observation

2. TEST the hypothesis with a Controlled, Reproducible Experiment

3. ASSESS results of the experiment

4. Draw CONCLUSION of “How Things Work”

- then test that

“[scientific truth] is not a citadel of certainty to be defended against error; it is a shady spot where one eats lunch before tramping on” L. White, 1968

Observations

Questions

Hypothesis # 1:Dead batteries

Hypothesis # 2:Burnt-out bulb

Prediction:Replacing batterieswill fix problem

Prediction:Replacing bulbwill fix problem

Test prediction

Test does not falsify hypothesis

Test prediction

Test falsifies hypothesisFigure 1.25

prior to the 17th Century

Life was considered “super-natural”beyond the Laws of Nature

SPONTANEOUS GENERATIONliving things arise de novo = “from nothing”

Wet hay gives rise to micemosquitoes come from swamps, ponds, puddles

decaying corpses turn into maggots

Francesco Redi’s experiment:

Control Experimental

Control Experimental

Start

1 week later

Conclusion: Maggots come from flies, not from the decaying meat

Redi’s Follow-Up Experiment:

Cover 1 week

Conclusion: maggots are immature forms of flies

Next Time

Chapter 2:

Atoms, Bonding, Molecules

Will begin - Chapter 3: Water