Intro to Biology

What does it mean?

When ever you see “…ology” or “...lgy” the focus
will be on the study of the topic.
○This root is derived from the Greek word
logos which means “study of” or “knowledge
of”.

“Bio” is another Greek word that means “life”

Too General
Just as the term
science is too general,
so is biology.

Within it, there are

many branches of
study all relating back
to the study of life.
It involves
the study of the biosphere
(all organisms from the
bottom of the ocean to the
atmosphere and the air, soil,
and water surrounding them)
Biologists:

- Study the diversity of life

- Research disease
- Develop technologies
- Improve agriculture
- Preserve the environment
As scientists they follow the scientific method:

Observe and ask questions Analyze the data

Form a hypothesis Come up with results

Experiment and collect

Report conclusions
the data
 And then
Biologists develop Theories and Laws
• A theory is an explanation that applies to a
broad range of phenomena and is supported
by experimental evidence.
• It is well tested, based on observations,
has extensive evidence and is well
accepted.
• A scientific law is a statement that describes
some aspect of a phenomena that is always
true.
• It does not explain how or why
something occurs, only that it does. It
often describes a relationship.