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Archaea
One of two prokaryotic domains of life, the other being Bacteria.
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Bacteria
One of two prokaryotic domains of life, the other being Archaea.
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Biology
The scientific study of life.
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biosphere
The entire portion of Earth inhabited by life; the sum of all the planet's ecosystems.
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cell
A basic unit of living matter separated from its environment by a plasma membrane; the fundamental structural unit of life.
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Community
An assemblage of all the organisms living together and potentially interacting in a particular area.
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Consumer
An organism that obtains its food by eating plants or by eating animals that have eaten plants.
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controlled experiment
A component of the process of science whereby a scientist carries out two parallel tests, an experimental test and a control test. The experimental test differs from the control by one factor, the variable.
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Domain
A taxonomic category above the kingdom level. The three domains of life are Archaea, Bacteria, and Eukarya.
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Ecosystem
All the organisms in a given area, along with the nonliving (abiotic) factors with which they interact; a biological community and its physical environment.
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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.
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Eukarya
The domain that includes all eukaryotic organisms.
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eukaryotic cell
A type of cell that has a membrane-enclosed nucleus and other membrane-enclosed organelles. All organisms except bacteria and archaea are composed of eukaryotic cells.
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evolution
Descent with modification; the idea that living species are descendants of ancestral species that were different from present-day ones; also the genetic changes in a population over generations.
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Gene
A discrete unit of hereditary information consisting of a specific nucleotide sequence in DNA (or RNA, in some viruses). Most of the genes of a eukaryote are located in its chromosomal DNA; a few are carried by the DNA of mitochondria and chloroplasts.
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hypothesis (plural, hypotheses)
(plural, hypotheses) A tentative explanation a scientist proposes for a specific phenomenon that has been observed.
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molecule
A group of two or more atoms held together by covalent bonds.
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natural selection
A process in which organisms with certain inherited characteristics are more likely to survive and reproduce than are organisms with other characteristics.
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Organ
A structure consisting of several tissues adapted as a group to perform specific functions.
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Organism
A group of organs that work together in performing vital body functions.
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Organelle
A membrane-enclosed structure with a specialized function within a cell.
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organ system
A group of organs that work together in performing vital body functions.
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Population
A group of individuals belonging to one species and living in the same geographic area.
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Producer
An organism that makes organic food molecules from CO2, H2O, and other inorganic raw materials: a plant, alga, or autotrophic bacterium.
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prokaryotic cell
A type of cell lacking a membrane-enclosed nucleus and other membrane-enclosed organelles; found only in the domains Bacteria and Archaea.
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Species
A group whose members possess similar anatomical characteristics and have the ability to interbreed and produce viable, fertile offspring. See biological species concept.
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systems biology
An approach to studying biology that aims to model the dynamic behavior of whole biological systems.
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Technology
The practical application of scientific knowledge.
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Theory
A widely accepted explanatory idea that is broad in scope and supported by a large body of evidence.
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Tissue
An integrated group of cells with a common function, structure, or both.
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