ARBA MINCH UNIVERSITY

COLLEGE OF NATURAL AND

COMPUTATIONAL SCIENCE
DEPARTMENT OF BIOLOGY
GENERAL BIOLOGY

Course Code: Biol.

1012
Course Credit
hour: 3 (2+1)
UNIT ONE

INTRODUCTION
 Introduction - Objectives
 After completing this chapter, you will be expected to:

• Define the term biology

• Explain scientific methods

• Know the origin and the nature of life

 The meaning and scope of
biology
 Biological Science is the study of life & living
organisms.
 It is also called as “Biology” (Greek word).
• ‘bio-’ means life & ‘-logos’ means study of.
 In the late 1700s P.A. de Monet & J.B. de Lamarck
coined the term biology.
• Therefore, Biology is the science of living
things.
 That is why Biology is sometimes known as Life
Science.
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• Many Biologists are working on problems that critically
affect our lives, such as the world‘s rapidly expanding
population and diseases like cancer, COVID 19, and AIDS.
• What opportunities exist in Biology now and in the
immediate future?
• There is much opportunity for researchers, particularly in
developmental biology (What genes cause birth defects
and can anything be done to correct the damage?).
• Immunology (will there be a cure for cancer, AIDS, or the
common cold?
 Con’t…
• Why is Biology important to you? and your community
(discuss in group)
• Use the following information and helps us to

- Use and manage natural resources

- Prevent and cure diseases

- Improve the quality of our lives and the future

generations
 The origin and nature of life
 The mystery of life's origin is still a big debating issue
in science.
 The question “what is life?” is so hard to answer.
 There are a number of theories about the origin of life.
of them:

1. Theory of Special Creation:

 All different forms of life that occur today on earth
planet have been created by God, the almighty.
 Con’t…
2. Theory of Spontaneous Generation:
Living organisms could arise suddenly & spontaneously
from any kind of non-living matter.
One of the firm believers in spontaneous generation was
Aristotle (384-322 BC).
Criticized by:

Lazzaro Spallanzani, Francisco Redi & Louis Pasteur

They performed well designed scientific experiments to

disprove this theory
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3. Theory of Catastrophism:
a modification of the theory of Special Creation.

It states that there have been several creations of life by

God, each preceded by a catastrophe resulting from some
kind of geological disturbance.
According to this theory, since each catastrophe
completely destroyed the existing life, each new creation
consisted of life form different from that of previous ones.
Critism: - no scientific experiment to support hypothesis

- mostly based on imaginary concept.

 Con’t…
4. Theory of Cosmozoic:
also known as “theory of panspermia or spore
theory”
states life has reached this planet Earth from other
heavenly bodies such as meteorites, in the form of
highly resistance spores of some organisms.
This idea was proposed by Richter in1865 & supported
by Arrhenius (1908) & other contemporary scientists.
The theory did not gain any support.

This theory lacks evidence, hence it was discarded.

 Con’t…
5. Theory of Eternity of Life:
This theory assumes that life had no beginning or end.

believes that life has ever been in existence & it will

continue to be so ever.
believe that there is no question of origin of life as it has no
beginning or end.
The theory is also known as steady state theory.

Objection: it could not be able to explain; evidences

support that initially earth forms & then life appeared on it.
oWhere life exist before the formation of earth?
 Con’t…
6. Theory of Chemical Evolution (modern theory):
this theory is also known as Materialistic Theory or
Physico-chemical Theory.
States, origin of life on earth is the result of a slow &
gradual process of chemical evolution that probably
occurred about 3.8 billion years ago.
This theory was proposed independently by two
scientists - A.I.Oparin in 1923 & J.B.S Haldane in 1928.
 Nature and characteristics of life
 Life is defined as a "condition" that distinguishes
animals & plants from inorganic materials & dead
organisms.
• Life is comprised of processes & is a maintained state.

• The most sophisticated form of life is man as a result

of this we focuses upon the nature of the life & death
of man.
 Man demonstrates three lives or aspects of life: Life of
the body (physical), life of the mind and life of the
spirit.
 Con’t…
• Physical life is basic existence
• Mind contributes effectiveness and scope
• Spiritual entity contributes maximum
living.
 Physiology: The existence of life physical is
demonstrated by the presence of functions.
 Con’t…
 Living tissues & organisms exhibit:
 Irritability - the ability to be excited or detect stimuli
and to respond
 Growth and reproduction - the power of multiplication
and duplication, regeneration and differentiation.
 Adaptability - permitting both change and maintenance
of balances (homeostasis).
 Metabolism - the transformation of energy and the use
of materials
 Excretion - the removal from the cell of waste products
of metabolism.
 The Scientific Method
• The scientific method involves a series of logical steps
that help to study natural processes.
• It is a powerful method, which can help to solve new
scientific problems. Knowledge is not absolute and
unchanging as it always faces the test of time.
• Existing scientific truth is relative and must be continually
tested, evaluated and reconstructed.
• The scientific method is not limited to the laboratory but
is a way of everyday life. It helps to investigate a crime,
diagnosis of a disease, etc.
 Con’t…
• Scientists use different scientific methods to solve problems
and they all share the following common steps.
 Observation

 Defining or identifying the problem or asking question

 Gathering information and forming a hypothesis

 Testing hypothesis / Experimentation

 Recording Analysis and interpretation of Data

 Drawing conclusions

 Theory, principles, fact and law

 Evaluation

 Reporting and publishing results

1. Observation

• Observations can be made directly through the sensory

systems, mainly vision, hearing, taste, smell and touch.
• They can also be made indirectly, through the use of
special equipment such as the microscope that extends the
range of perception.
• Preliminary observation with curiosity leads to
identification of a specific problem among the many that
exist in the environment.
• Most biological investigation starts with an observation of
structure process or a behavioral pattern, that raises
inquiry like why, how when etc.
2. Defining or identifying the problem or asking
question

• Scientific experiments are carried out based on a specific

problem or question.
• First such a problem has to be identified before
proceeding to the next steps.
• Observations are made and facts gathered leading to the
definition and elaboration of the problem or question
more precisely.
• A scientist‘s natural reaction is to ask question about it.

• What will happen? Why is it so? How does it take place?

etc.
3. Gathering information and forming a hypothesis

• The information gathered could be qualitative describing

color, taste, etc. or quantitative involving the
measurement of an amount of quantity.
• Observations provide the raw material, which leads to the
formulation of a hypothesis.
• Hypothesis could be defined as a suggested explanation
of certain observed phenomena/problem.
• Scientific hypothesis need to be tested since they are
assumptions of tentative explanations.
4. Testing hypothesis / Experimentation

 Hypothesis testing often involves experimentation

 A hypothesis that has with stood many such tests and
has been shown to allow prediction to be made is known
as theory.
 A theory may generate such confidence through its
predictive ability to be known as a law.
 In most hypotheses there are a number of factors which
may influence the observation.
• These are called experimental variables.
 Con’t…
 The independent variables: are the conditions or events
under experimentation or testing. It can be changed
systematically in an experiment.
 Example: In an experiment in which bacteria are grown at
different temperatures. Temperature is the independent
variable.
• The dependent variables: are variables that can possibly
change because of the presence of or changes in the
independent variables.
 Example. the rate of growth (fast or slow) of bacteria at
different temperatures.
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 The controlled variables: are conditions that could
affect the outcome of an experiment but that do not do so
because they are held constant.
• Example: In an investigation of the effect of light on
plants the control will be a plant kept in the dark.
• The usual way of testing hypothesis is by performing a
carefully planned experiment. Such a carefully planned
experiment consists of two components
 Experimental group (treated group)

 Control group (un treated group)

5. Recording analysis and interpretation of data

• Results are recorded carefully and systematically and

usually organized in the form of data tables, charts or
graphs in addition to verbal explanations.
• Analysis of data means studying the organized material in
order to discover the essential facts.
 The stage of interpretation after analysis is essential to
state what the results show. Hence, interpretation needs
a careful logical and critical examination of the results
obtained after analysis.
6. Drawing conclusions

 Conclusions or generalizations require careful and

objective analysis of the data gathered.
7. Theory, principles, fact and law

• When a given hypothesis has been tried (tested) many times

by independent investigations and found to be acceptable it
is no longer a hypothesis, but it becomes a theory.
• Theory is a hypothesis tested to be true

• A theory is open to tests, revision and tentative acceptance

or rejection. E.g. A theory of evolution has changed over a
period of time
 When a theory has proved invariable under all circumstances,
or such variations are systematic and predictable, then it may
be accepted as a fact, principle or law.
5. Recording analysis and interpretation of data

• This happens by further experimentation or observation

as the case may be another highest level of scientific
concept is modeling.
• A model is a mental map formed by deliberate analogy
with a more familiar concept.
• For example

- The key and lock model of enzyme action

- The crick and Watson model of DNA structure

8. Evaluation

• For valid conclusions many rounds of the same

experiment need to be undertaken. i.e. each experiment
should be done again and again until consistent results
are obtained. This phase of a scientific experimentation is
known as evaluation.
9.Reporting and publishing results

• Communication is an important component of the

scientific method.
• The knowledge generated in a field of science has to
reach the scientific community.
• The proper channels of communication for scientists and
researchers are scientific journals, conference
proceedings, bulletins and other publication series.
• Communication through reporting also avoids repetition
of the same work.
Con’t…