Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
Further Reading
1.
The Demon-Haunted World: Science as a Candle in the Dark.
Carl Sagan. Published by
Headline Book Publishing, 1996. ISBN 0 7472 5156 8. This book contains a personal plea
for the need to use scientific thinking to safeguard democratic institutions and to combat the
growth of irrationality in advanced societies.
2.
The Reason of Things: Living with Philosophy.
Anthony C. Grayling. Published by Phoenix,
2003. ISBN 978-0753817131. This topic is a very accessible and thought-provoking discussion
of the topics you need think about if you want to live a 'considered life'
Definitions
adaptation
those properties of an organism that enable it to survive and reproduce
in its natural environment.
agnostic
a person who thinks that nothing can be known about the existence or
non- existence of the supernatural.
anthropic principle
the collective name for a group of ideas that assert that phys-
ical and chemical theories about the Universe must take into account the existence
of human life.
archaea
a group of prokaryotic organisms distinguishable from bacteria by
several biochemical properties.
assertion
the declaration that something is true.
assumption
the position that something is true for the purpose of argument or
action.
atheist
a person who does not believe in the existence of the supernatural.
bacteria
a group of prokaryotic organisms, distinguishable from archaea by
several biochemical properties.
belief
a statement of faith that an idea is true or important, whether or not there is
testable evidence for it.
biodiversity
the existence of many different types of organism.
biogeography
the study of biodiversity across all regions of the Earth.
biosphere
that part of the Earth that contains living organisms.
Cambrian explosion
the relatively sudden appearance of muliticellular organ-
isms about 540 million years ago in the fossil record.
crystallins
transparent proteins found in eye lenses.
cyanobacteria
a group of photosynthetic bacteria.
deism
the belief in a supernatural agent who created the Universe but no longer
interacts with it.
DNA
deoxyribonucleic acid.
ecosystem
a system of interacting organisms and their environment.
elongation factor
a protein required for ribosomes to synthesize polypeptides.
empirical
derived from observation or experiment and not from what someone
tells you.
endosymbiosis
one type of cell living inside another type of cell without harming
it, and possibly providing some benefit.
