Levels of Organization
What is an atom?
The smallest unit of matter. All matter is composed of atoms (they are everywhere).
What is the universal genetic code that all living things have?
DNA
After food is broken down through digestion, do the atoms still exist?
Yes
What are most feedback loops in the human body? Positive or negative?
Negative
What macromolecule is used to code for the formation of proteins?
DNA (example of nucleic acid)
Tissues working together to form a larger structure would make what? Once you have your answer, provide an example of it as well.
Organ. Ex - Heart, Lungs, Kidneys, Stomach, etc.
What is the difference between biotic and abiotic? List one example of each.
Biotic - Something alive, used to be alive, dormant, or came from a living thing. Ex - Dog
Abiotic - Something that was never alive. Ex - Rock
What is the role of the circulatory system?
Transports oxygen, nutrients, and other substances throughout the body, and removes wastes from tissues.
Is childbirth an example of positive or negative feedback? Explain why you chose the answer you did.
Positive feedback - Releasing oxytocin to stimulate more contractions at the uterus - adding and adding and adding until the baby is born.
What are the 4 macromolecules?
Carbohydrates, Lipids, Proteins, Nucleic Acids
What is the difference between unicellular and multicellular? Provide 1 example of each.
Unicellular - Single celled organism. Ex - Bacteria
Multicellular - Organism composed of many cells. Ex - Humans
What is the difference between asexual and sexual reproduction? List an example of one organism that uses each.
Asexual - One parent, splits into identical copies. Bacteria
Sexual - Two parents, combinations of genes to become unique individuals. Humans
Which two body systems are interacting to get the nutrients from the food you eat to your brain?
The circulatory and digestive systems.
How is water able to move into the kidneys?
What is the monomer (building block) of a protein?
Amino Acids
What does cell differentiation mean? Provide an example of your answer as well.
Cells start as stem cells, but then are assigned different specializations and change. Ex - Red blood cells vs White blood cells.
What is the difference between autotrophs and heterotrophs? List one example of each.
Autotrophs conduct photosynthesis and create their own glucose (energy). Ex - Plants
Heterotrophs eat other organisms to get energy. Ex - Humans
How does gas exchange work? What is involved, and why do we do it?
Air enters your lungs, which contain about 150 million alveoli each. This oxygen is then dissolved and diffuses across thin capillary walls to enter the blood. Within the bloodstream, oxygen binds to hemoglobin and is transported throughout our body to tissues/cells that need it. Carbon dioxide diffuses from our capillaries into our alveoli, so that we can breathe it out as waste.
How does the circulatory system respond when our body temperatures are too high?
Blood vessels widen, allowing more heat to be lost to the environment to help us cool down.
What elements are present inside of nucleic acids?
Carbon, Hydrogen, Oxygen, Nitrogen, Phosphorus
What is the order of organization in terms of smallest to largest? List all 8 and in the correct order.
Atom, Molecule, Organelle, Cell, Tissue, Organ, Organ System, Organism
What are the 8 characteristics of life that we learned in class? List them in any order.
1 - Contain DNA, 2 - Respond to stimuli, 3 - Reproduce, 4 - Obtain and use energy, 5 - Contain cells, 6 - Evolve, 7 - Grow and develop, 8 - Maintain homeostasis
Why do newborn babies reduce blood supply to the skin, hands, and feet?
They minimize heat loss by avoiding areas that are not used often and are close to the surface of our skin. Because babies do not move around and generate heat, having blood at these areas would result in losing a lot of heat to the environment.
Is insulin production an example of positive or negative feedback? Explain each step of the feedback loop in as much detail as you can.
Negative feedback.
You eat food, your blood sugar rises, your pancreas produces insulin, insulin carries glucose from your blood to tissues that need it, you stop producing insulin and your blood sugar drops back to normal.
What are the three different types of proteins that we learned about? What do they do?
Enzymes - Speed up, increase efficiency of chemical reactions.
Antibodies - Protect us against infection / illness.
Endorphins - Help reduce feelings of stress and pain.