The Foundations of Biology: An Introduction

Explore the seven characteristics of life, from growth and development to reproduction, and see how energy, metabolism, homeostasis, cellular organization, and responses to stimuli define living systems.

Explore water's properties from electronegativity and hydrogen bonds to cohesion and surface tension. See how these features support universal solvent behavior and capillary action.

Define atoms and elements; explain atomic number and weight, isotopes, electron orbitals and energy, and the difference between molecules and compounds with examples like H2O, CO2, and lithium.

Explore covalent bonds driven by valence electrons as atoms share electrons to form water, and ionic bonds as electrons transfer from Na to Cl to create charged ions.

Examine the differences between animal and plant cells and explore key organelles: cytoplasm, plasma membrane, nucleus, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria, chloroplasts, central vacuole, cell wall, and cytoskeleton.

Investigate the fluid mosaic model of the plasma membrane, detailing cholesterol’s buffering role, membrane proteins, glycoproteins, glycolipid, and osmosis and diffusion, including hypotonic, isotonic, and hypertonic regulation.

Develop an understanding of dehydration synthesis and hydrolysis in forming and breaking polymers; explore carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids, including monomers, polymers, and key bond types.