Biology Reference
In-Depth Information
enzyme
a biological molecule that catalyses a chemical reaction; most enzymes
are proteins but some are made of RNA.
eugenics
the idea that humans should take steps to improve their genetic inheri-
tance.
eukaryotes
organisms whose genome is surrounded by a nuclear membrane, thus
separating transcription from translation.
evolution
the change in genetic composition of populations with time.
extant organism
an organism that occurs today.
extinct organism
a species that has completely died out.
eyespots
structures that detect the intensity and direction of light but are unable
to form an image.
facts
in science, facts are observations that are empirical, repeatable, and share-
able by everyone.
faith
belief in religious doctrines.
fitness
in evolutionary theory, fitness is defined as the mean number of offspring
left by an individual, relative to the number of offspring left by an average member
of the population.
genes
regions of DNA that encode RNA and protein molecules.
genetic code
the relationship between the sequence of bases in DNA in a gene
and the sequence of amino acids in the encoded protein.
genetic drift
the change in gene frequency between generations caused by
random sampling effects.
genetic system
any system that contains DNA, the enzymes to transcribe the
DNA into RNA, and to translate the sequence information into proteins.
genome
the total genetic information in a given organism.
homology
in Darwin's time, “homology” described similar organs in differ-
ent species, but today is often used to describe structures or molecules that are
evolutionarily related.
hypothesis
an imaginary but testable speculation that might explain some facts.
intentionality
the tendency to interpret events in terms of purpose.
lateral gene transfer (LGT)
any process in which an organism incorporates
genetic material from another organism, without being a direct descendent of that
organism.
macroevolution
evolutionary change which produces new species.
messenger RNA
the product of transcription that is used by ribosomes to make
proteins.
metabolism
the totality of chemical and physical reactions occurring inside
organisms.
metaphysical naturalism
the assertion that the supernatural does not exist.
methodological naturalism
the assumption that scientists make that all that
exists is the physical world that is characterised by unvarying regularities (“laws
of nature”) that can be studied by observation and experiment.
microevolution
evolutionary change occurring within species.
monotheism
the belief that there is only one supreme supernatural agent.
mutation
a change in the base sequence of DNA.
