Search Resources

Patterns and processes of evolution. How evolution and natural selection are reflected in the similarities and differences of organisms. 

Introduction to cell theory--the idea that 1) all living things are made of one or more cells, 2) cells are the basic unit of life and 3) all cells come from other cells. Explore the roles that Hooke, Leeuwenhoek and others played in developing cell theory.

Hooke and Leeuwenhoek were two of the first scientists to use microscopes to study the microscopic world of cells. Hooke coined the term "cell" after observing the tiny compartments in cork, while Leeuwenhoek discovered a variety of living creatures in pond water, blood, and other samples. They contributed to the cell theory by suggesting that cells are the fundamental units of life and structure, and that all living things consist of one or more cells that originate from other cells by division. 

All living things are made up of cells, which is the smallest unit that can be said to be alive. An organism may consist of one single cell (unicellular) or many different numbers and types of cells (multicellular).

Outcomes:

• Design a diet and exercise regimen.
• Estimate the number of calories required for basic survival.
• Estimate the number of calories burned by exercise.
• Explain how heart health depends on diet and exercise.
• Explain how Body Mass Index (BMI) depends on weight and height.

Introduction to the cell.

Cellular respiration is the process by which cells derive energy from glucose. The chemical reaction for cellular respiration involves glucose and oxygen as inputs, and produces carbon dioxide, water, and energy (ATP) as outputs. There are three stages to cellular respiration: glycolysis, the Krebs cycle, and the electron transport chain.

Introduction to passive and active transport

Food webs are models that demonstrate how matter and energy is transferred between producers, consumers, and decomposers as the three groups interact within an ecosystem. Transfers of matter into and out of the physical environment occur at every level. Decomposers recycle nutrients from dead plant or animal matter back to the soil in terrestrial environments or to the water in aquatic environments. The atoms that make up the organisms in an ecosystem are cycled repeatedly between the living and nonliving parts of the ecosystem.

Osmosis is the movement of water across a semi-permeable membrane from an area of low solute concentration to an area of high solute concentration. Osmosis helps regulate the flow of water in and out of cells, which is crucial to their function.

Even though molecules, proteins, viruses, and cells are all tiny, there are significant size differences between them. The diameter of a water molecule is roughly 0.28 nanometers. The diameter of the protein hemoglobin is roughly 5 nanometers. The diameter of the HIV virus is roughly 120 nanometers. A red blood cell is 6-8 micrometers.