Living/Nonliving Things
What is the basic unit of life?
Cells
Which scientist observed and named the tiny structures he saw in cork?
Who is Robert Hooke?
Put these in order from simplest to most complex:
Cell → Tissue → Organ → Organ System → Organism
What are the two basic components found in a virus?
What are genetic material and a protein coat called a capsid?
What are the four major biological macromolecules?
What are carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids?
Name four characteristics commonly associated with living organisms.
being made of cells, using energy, reproducing, maintaining homeostasis, responding to stimuli, growing/developing, containing genetic material, and adapting/evolving
What are the three major tenets of cell theory?
A group of similar cells working together to perform a specific function is called what?
What is a tissue?
What type of genetic material can a virus contain?
What are DNA or RNA?
What biomolecule serves as a fast source of energy?
carbohydrates (glucose)
A plant grows toward a window because it detects light. Which characteristic of life is demonstrated?
What is responding to stimuli?
Which scientist was the first to observe living microorganisms using a microscope?
Who is Anton van Leeuwenhoek?
The heart is made of multiple types of tissues working together. What level of organization is the heart?
What is an organ?
Why must viruses infect a host cell?
Because viruses cannot reproduce independently and must use the host cell's machinery to make more viruses.
What is the monomer of starch and glycogen (carbohydrates)
Monosaccharides (single sugars)
A robot can move, respond to commands, and use electricity. Explain why these characteristics alone do NOT make it a living organism.
Because it does not perform all characteristics associated with life and is not made of cells.
Schleiden concluded that plants were made of cells, while Schwann concluded that animals were made of cells. What larger idea did their discoveries support?
What is the idea that living organisms are made of cells?
The stomach, small intestine, large intestine, and other organs work together to break down and absorb food. What level of organization do they form?
What is an organ system?
A virus contains genetic material but cannot reproduce on its own. Why do scientists debate whether viruses are living?
Because viruses have some characteristics associated with life, such as genetic material and the ability to evolve, but they cannot independently reproduce or carry out life processes.
A molecule contains carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus and stores genetic information. What type of macromolecule is it?
What is a nucleic acid?
Scientists discover an object that grows, uses energy, responds to its environment, and contains genetic material—but it is NOT made of cells. Why might scientists question whether it is alive?
Because being made of one or more cells is a fundamental characteristic of living organisms.
Virchow stated that new cells come from existing cells. Explain how this helped complete cell theory.
It established that cells do not spontaneously appear; new cells arise from preexisting cells.
A student says, “A tissue and an organ are the same thing because both are made of cells.” Explain why the student is incorrect.
A tissue is a group of similar cells working together, while an organ contains two or more types of tissues working together to perform a specific function.
A scientist places a virus in a container containing nutrients but no living cells. The virus does not reproduce. What does this evidence suggest?
It suggests that viruses require a living host cell to reproduce and cannot reproduce independently.
A student observes a molecule with a glycerol backbone attached to three long fatty-acid chains. What macromolecule is the student observing, and what is one major function of this molecule?
What is a lipid, which can provide long-term energy storage, insulation, or help form cell membranes?