03/16/2026

 

Samuel Clifford

 

In this series of articles are my notes for my class on Organismal Biology from the textbook cited below:

 

Fowler, Samantha, et al. Concepts of Biology. OpenStax, Rice University, 2023. https://openstax.org/details/books/concepts-biology.

 

Chapter 1: Introduction to Biology

 

Biology studies life. But what is life according to science?

 

Properties of Life: 

 

1. Order- Organisms have an order, they have cells and those cells are made of organelles which are then made of molecules which are then made of atoms. 

2. Response to Stimuli- Living organisms are sensitive and respond to stimuli. Plants move toward light and bacteria can move away from chemicals.

3. Reproduction- Organisms can reproduce whether sexually or asexually.

4. Adaptation- Populations develop traits over generations that help them survive in their environment.

5. Growth and Development- Organisms are able to grow and develop, as it is coded in their genes.

6. Homeostasis- Organisms maintain stable internal conditions despite changes in their environment.

7. Energy Processing- Organisms use a source of energy for metabolic processes. 

 

Hierarchy of Living Things:

 

-Atom

-Molecule

-Macromolecule

-Organelle

-Cell

-Tissue

-Organ

-Organism

-Population (localized group of organisms belonging to the same species)

-Biological Community (populations of different species living in the same area)

-Ecosystem (community interactions that include nonliving features of the environment)

 

The author then begins to speak on the diversity of life and its origin through evolution. The author defines evolution by stating its the process of gradual change as new species derive from old species. This is what creationists such as Todd Wood call “speciation.” The majority of creationists, especially in modern times, don’t believe in species fixity but believe species can change and diversify in their baramins.  Creationists reject, however, the interpretation that all living organisms come from a common ancestor. 

 

Carl Linnaeus introduced the idea of classifying organisms into a hierarchical system, which today includes eight levels from species up to domain. Modern biology recognizes three domains: Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya, and this system continues to change as new scientific discoveries are made. He also created the binomial naming system.

 

The author defines science as the study of the natural world. Scientific knowledge is built by forming testable hypotheses and evaluating them through observation and experimentation. A hypothesis is a tentative explanation, developed within the framework of a broader scientific theory, while theories themselves are well‑supported, repeatedly confirmed explanations of natural phenomena. Science is driven by curiosity and uses both inductive reasoning, which builds general ideas from many observations, and deductive reasoning, which uses general principles to predict specific outcomes. These two forms of logic support descriptive science and hypothesis‑based science, which constantly interact as observations lead to questions, hypotheses, and further testing. Sir Francis Bacon formally described the scientific method in the early 1600s, emphasizing inductive reasoning as a foundation for scientific inquiry. Although its roots are ancient, the method became a clearly defined, logical approach to problem‑solving that can be applied far beyond biology.

 

Scientific progress depends on scientists sharing their results so others can test, verify, and build on them. Peer‑reviewed journal articles are the main way this happens, because experts evaluate each study for quality, originality, and rigor before it is published, ensuring that new findings are reliable and useful for future research.