Chapter 1: The Science of BiologyShort Questions with Answers

Embryology: the study of the prenatal development of an organism from the fertilized egg. Embryologists study tissue and organ formation and identify birth defects.

In Computational Biology, scientists use mathematical models, algorithms and computer simulations to understand biological systems and relationships. It involves analysing biological data, such as the sequence of amino acids in a protein.

Observation gathers information about the problem, using the five senses and earlier research; on the basis of observations, a hypothesis is formed.

Experimentation is the most basic step: experiments test all hypotheses; the incorrect ones are rejected and the proved one is accepted. Without experiments a hypothesis cannot become a theory.

Fossils are the remains of plants and animals that were preserved in rocks and other geological formations. The oldest fossil is of a cyanobacterium, about 3.5 billion years old.

The book: the human body contains trillions of cells; various cells possess unique structures.

When scientists do experiments, they arrange two settings: the experimental group and the control group. In the CO₂ experiment, the plant without CO₂ is the experimental group and the plant given CO₂ is the control group.

Quinine was the only remedy for malaria from the 17th to the 20th century.

The Aedes mosquito transmits dengue fever.

Biology is the science of life. It comes from the Greek words "bios" (life) and "logos" (study), and explores the structures, functions and interactions of living organisms.

Zoology (animals), Botany (plants) and Microbiology (microorganisms).

The study of microorganisms, such as bacteria and microscopic fungi: their structures, functions, habitats, reproduction and impacts on health and environment.

Histology is the microscopic study of tissues. Cytology is the study of cells, the building blocks of life.

It deals with the study of biological molecules like carbohydrates, proteins, lipids and nucleic acids. Molecular biologists also create genetically modified organisms.

Taxonomy deals with the classification of organisms into groups on the basis of similarities and differences. It helps to organize the diversity of life, identify new species and study evolutionary relationships.

Ecology deals with the relationships between organisms and their environment. The food chain shows how organisms are connected for energy and nutrients.

The branch in which we study the components of the immune system and their role against diseases. Immunologists develop vaccines.

Anatomy studies the internal physical structure of organisms (organs); Histology is the microscopic study of tissues.

The study of the structure and reactions of chemical substances present in living systems, e.g. reactions of photosynthesis and respiration.

The study of the principles of Physics which apply to biological processes, e.g. the rules of lever and motion for muscles, bones and joints.

The use of the principles of statistics to analyse and interpret data related to living organisms.

The use of living organisms or their components to develop beneficial products or processes, e.g. bacteria used to produce insulin for diabetic patients.

The study of organisms from an economical point of view: the cost and profit of biological projects, e.g. producing a new crop variety.

The study of the distribution of living organisms in different geographical regions of the world.

Medicine and surgery, dentistry, pharmacology, physiotherapy, agriculture, horticulture, forestry, animal husbandry, biotechnology, forensics.

The therapy used to restore movement and physical function of the body that has been impaired by disease or injury, by exercise and modalities such as massage. It needs a 4-year BS degree.

Horticulturists cultivate fruits, vegetables, flowers and ornamental plants. Foresters manage and conserve forests and wildlife.

They analyse physical evidence from crime scenes in criminal investigations.

Because researchers from various disciplines work together to solve complex problems; interdisciplinary teams use the strengths of each discipline and reach quicker, sustainable solutions.

A project to sequence and map the human genome, completed in 2003, involving molecular biology, genetics, informatics and computer science.

"We made every living thing from water." (Al-Anbiya, Verse 30). It hints at the common origin of all living things in water.

Al-Mominoon, Verse 14: "Then fashioned We the drop a clot, then fashioned We the clot a little lump, then fashioned We the little lump bones, then clothed the bones with flesh."

Specific steps used by scientists to solve scientific problems (called biological method in Biology): recognition of the problem, observations, hypothesis, deduction, experiments, results.

Qualitative observations cannot be measured with numbers (colour of a flower); quantitative observations are measurements expressed in numbers (number of birds). Quantitative ones are more accurate.

A tentative answer to a scientific problem. It is a proposed statement, matches the available observations, can be tested by experiments, and can always be disproved.

The logical result of a hypothesis, usually an "if–then" statement. "If iron deficiency causes the symptoms, then adding iron to the soil will improve the leaf colour."

Because they are invariable, measurable and recorded in numbers; different people get the same value.

They summarise them with statistics and graphs, list references, publish in journals and books, and present them in national and international meetings and seminars.

A hypothesis repeatedly proved by experiments becomes a theory; it is supported by extensive evidence. Example: the theory of evolution.

A scientific law is a uniform or constant fact of nature, reached when a theory is proved again and again: Hardy–Weinberg law, Mendel's laws of inheritance.

A hypothesis is a tentative answer not yet tested; a theory is a hypothesis proved by experiments and supported by extensive evidence.

Laveran, a French army physician, who saw microorganisms in a patient's blood (book: 1878) and named them Plasmodium.

Hypothesis: Plasmodium is the cause of malaria. Deduction: if Plasmodium is the cause, then all malarial patients should have Plasmodium in their blood.

"Mosquitoes transmit Plasmodium and so are involved in the spread of malaria." (A. F. A. King, 1883)

The experiment was risky: if the hypothesis was true, the healthy person would get malaria. So he used sparrows and Culex mosquitoes.

It multiplies in the walls of the mosquito's stomach and then moves into its salivary glands, from where it enters the next host when the mosquito bites.