ABCT 1101/ABCT1D04

Introductory Life Science

INTRODUCTORY LIFE SCIENCE
At our 1st lecture, we want to discuss
• What is LIFE?
• What is SCIENCE?
• What is LIFE SCIENCE?
What is life?
Our intuitive understanding of life
• We recognize life by what living things do.
What is life?
Seven properties of life (that are distinguished from
non life):
1. Order
2. Regulation
3. Growth and development
4. Energy processing
5. Response to environment
6. Reproduction
7. Evolution
What is life?
Seven properties of life (helps to distinguish from non life)
1. Order: all living things exhibit complex but ordered structures
2. Regulation The ordered structure
of a pinecone
3. Growth and development
4. Energy processing
5. Response to environment
6. Reproduction
7. Evolution
What is life?
Seven properties of life
1. Order
2. Regulation: self adjustment of internal environment
3. Growth and development
4. Energy processing
5. Response to environment
6. Reproduction
7. Evolution A lizard basking on a rock to
stay warm
What is life?
Seven properties of life
1. Order
2. Regulation
3. Growth and development
4. Energy processing
5. Response to environment
A baby ostrich hatched from an
6. Reproduction egg. The pattern of its growth
and development is controlled
7. Evolution by its DNA.
What is life?
Seven properties of life
1. Order
2. Regulation
3. Growth and development
4. Energy processing
5. Response to environment
A puffin obtains energy by eating
6. Reproduction fish and uses this energy to power
its activities. All living organisms
7. Evolution take in and consume energy.
What is life?
Seven properties of life
1. Order
2. Regulation
3. Growth and development
4. Energy processing
5. Response to environment
6. Reproduction A Venus flytrap closes its leaves
rapidly in response to the
7. Evolution environmental stimuli of an insect
touching the plant’s sensory hairs
What is life?
Seven properties of life
• Order
• Regulation
• Growth and development
• Energy processing
• Response to environment
Organisms reproduce their own
• Reproduction kind. Thus hippos reproduce only
hippos, never snakes or puffins.
• Evolution
What is life?
Seven properties of life
1. Order
2. Regulation
3. Growth and development
4. Energy processing
5. Response to environment
Katydid has evolved to achieve
6. Reproduction camouflage in its environment.

7. Evolution: reproduction underlies the capacity of populations to change

(evolve) over time.
Quick Exercise: What is life?
Seven properties of life
1. Order
2. Regulation
3. Growth and development
4. Energy processing
5. Response to environment Is this life or non-life?

6. Reproduction
7. Evolution
Quick Exercise: What is life?
Seven properties of life
1. Order
2. Regulation
3. Growth and development
4. Energy processing
5. Response to environment Is this life or non-life?

6. Reproduction
7. Evolution
Quick Exercise: What is life?
Seven properties of life
1. Order
2. Regulation
3. Growth and development
4. Energy processing
5. Response to environment Is this life or non-life?

6. Reproduction
7. Evolution
Life at its many levels
The incredible range of life
• a wide scale of size and
• a huge variety, both past and present
All living organisms on this earth, along with the
dead organic matter produced by them, form the
“Biosphere”.
 1 Biosphere
2 Ecosystems
3 Communities

4 Populations

5 Organisms

6 Organ Systems
and Organs

10 Molecules and Atoms

9 Organelles
7 Tissues Atom
Nucleus

8 Cells
Ecosystem

• Each organism interacts continuously with its

environment.
– Organisms interact continuously with the living and
nonliving factors in the environment.
– All the living organisms in a specific area, along
with all of the nonliving factors with which they
interact, form an ecosystem.
– Example: the ecosystem of Hong Kong
Ecosystem

• The ecosystem of Hong Kong.

– Geological diversity: mangrove, shores, hills etc.
– Richness in species: ~2600 species of plants,
~450 species of birds, ~200 species of butterflies,
~40 species of mammals etc.
– Problems: pollution, high density population etc.
Ecosystem

• The dynamics of any ecosystem depend on two

main processes:
1. recycling of chemical nutrients and
2. flow of energy.

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Ecosystem
The three main groups making up any ecosystem are the
“Producers”, the “Consumers” and the “Decomposers”.

1. The producers (i.e. plants) which produce sugar from

carbon dioxide and water and sunlight.

2. The consumers (i.e. animals) which eat the plants.

3. The decomposers (e.g. microorganisms) that breakdown

the dead tissue of other organisms
 TERM MEANING
Organism The smallest independent living individual
Populations Groups of the same organisms of the same species
Communities Interacting populations of different species
Ecosystem An ecosystem consists of all the interacting organisms in an area and their
interactions with their abiotic surroundings
Producers Those that trap sunlight for photosynthesis producing organic material from
inorganic materials.
Consumers Organisms that must obtain energy by eating organic matter
Herbivores Animals that feed directly on plants
Carnivores Animals that eat other animals
Food Chain A sequence of organisms feeding on one another
Omnivores Some animals that are carnivores at some times and herbivores at other
times
Decomposers Organisms of decay e.g. bacteria and fungi

Scavenger Eats food left by others e.g. Vulture, crayfish, skunk

Parasite Lives in or on another organism using it for food
If abiotic factors change
e.g. amount of sunlight
and rainfall. Less plant
food for  less deers
 less carnivores.

During the spring, when

produces increase so
does everything else.

Whenever a particular
organism population is
affected, it will in turn
adjust other
populations.
Stable Population
 What are Cells?

• The cell is the level at which the properties of life

emerge.
• Cells are the lowest level of structure that can
perform all activities required for life.
• All organisms are composed of cells.
• Cells are the subunits that make up multicellular
organisms such as humans and trees.

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Cells

• A living organism must have at least one single cell

 Unicellular organism

A cluster of ~10 bacterial cells

Cells

• A living organism can contain large number of cells

in organized manner  Multicellular organism

Estimated to be over 10 trillion (1013) cells!

How big is 10 trillion? Assume the HK government has 10 trillion dollars

to give away to its 7 million residents, each one will receive 1.4 million.
We will all be millionaires!
Cells

• But how does the 10 trillion cells walk and talk as

one single person?
• The levels of organization: cells  tissues  organ
 organs systems  organisms
 100 trillion cells
 >200 different types that differ in size, shape
and function
 Start as a fertilized egg 2 cells 4 cells etc
 Each cell receives a chemical signal
specialized cell
 Similar cells  Tissues  Organs  Organ
System
INTRODUCTORY LIFE SCIENCE
At our 1st lecture, we want to discuss
• What is LIFE?
• What is SCIENCE?
• What is LIFE SCIENCE?
What is science?
• The word science is derived from a Latin verb
meaning “to know.”
– Science is a way of knowing, based on inquiry.
– Science developed from our curiosity about
ourselves and the world around us.
– Science, religion, and art are very different ways of
trying to make sense of nature.

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What is science?
• Science seeks natural causes for natural
phenomena.
– This limits the scope of science to the study of
structures and processes that we can observe and
measure directly or indirectly.

• The dependence on observations that people can

confirm demystifies nature and distinguishes
science from belief in the supernatural.

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What is science?
• The Universe: Science vs. Myth

[Link] Myth = a traditional or legendary story, usually

concerning some being or hero or event, with or
without a determinable basis of fact or a natural
explanation
What is science?
• The Universe: Science vs. Religion

[Link]
A specific fundamental set of beliefs and practices
generally agreed upon by a number of persons or
sects: e.g Christian religion; the Buddhist religion
What is science?
• The Universe: Science vs. Fiction

[Link]
A form of fiction that draws imaginatively on
scientific knowledge and speculation in its plot,
setting, theme, etc.
What is science?

Science has two key features that distinguish it

from other forms of inquiry. Science
1. depends on observations and measurements that
others can verify and
2. requires that ideas (hypotheses) are testable by
experiments that others can repeat.

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What is life science?
• Life science (or Biology) is the scientific study of
life.
– Life science: 生命科學

– Biology:生物學
The process of science
• There are two main scientific approaches:
– Discovery science is mostly about describing nature.
 Knowing the What.
– Hypothesis-driven science is mostly about
explaining nature.  Finding the Why and How.
The process (I): Discovery science
• Verifiable observations and measurements are the
data of discovery science.
– In biology, discovery science enables us to
describe life at its many levels, from ecosystems
down to cells and molecules.

Dr. Jane Goodall spent

decades observing
chimpanzee behavior
during field research in
Tanzania
 Darwin proposed a theory of
evolution occurring by the process
of natural selection.

The animals (or plants) best

suited to their environment are
more likely to survive and
reproduce, passing on the
characteristics which helped them
survive to their offspring.

Gradually, the species changes

over time.

Worked on his theory for 20

years.

In 1859 Darwin published ‘The

Charles Darwin 1809-1882 Origin of Species by Means of
Natural Selection'.
The process (I): Discovery science
• Discovery science
– can stimulate us to ask questions and seek
explanations and
– In biology, a myriad of such questions await our
answers, such as
 How do plants trap solar energy?

 How do living creatures form ecological networks and how do

human activities disrupt them?

 How did the great diversity of life on Earth evolve from the first
microbes and how does such evolution have an impact on
human health?

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The process (II): Hypothesis-driven science

• Most modern scientific investigations can be

described as hypothesis-driven science.
– A hypothesis is a tentative answer to a question -
an explanation on trial.

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The process (II): Hypothesis-driven science

• Once a hypothesis is formed, an investigator can

use logic to test it.
– A hypothesis is tested by performing an
experiment to see whether results are as
predicted.
– This deductive reasoning takes the form of
“If…then” logic.
The process of science

• The flow chart.

– Integration of discovery science and hypothesis-
driven science (from What to Why and How)

Revise and repeat

Observation Question Hypothesis Prediction Experiment

The process of science

• An example of hypothesis-driven scientific process

in everyday life.
Experiment
does not
support
Revise. hypothesis.

Observation Hypothesis Prediction

Question Experiment
The remote The With new
What’s Replace
doesn’t batteries batteries, it
wrong? batteries.
work. are dead. will work.

Experiment
supports
hypothesis;
make more
predictions
and test.
The process of science: case study

• An actual life science investigation

Are trans fat bad for you?

The process of science: case study

• Dietary fat comes in different forms.

• Trans fats are a non-natural form produced through
manufacturing processes called hydrogenation.
• Trans fats
– add texture,
– increase shelf life, and
– are inexpensive to prepare.
– can be found in fast food, crackers, cookies, cakes,
coffee creamers, frozen pies and other baked goods.

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The process of science: case study
• First stage: discovery science to gather a set of data
without a preconceived notion of what it might
reveal:
• A study of 120,000 female nurses over 18 years
(1976 – 1994). Every two years the study completed
questionnaire of their health status and dietary
habits
• Finding: a diet with high levels of trans fats nearly
doubled the risk of heart disease.
• Skeptics: actual link between trans fats and health
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The process of science: case study

• A hypothesis-driven study published in 2004

– started with the observation that human body fat
retains traces of consumed dietary fat,
– asked the question, Would the adipose tissue of
heart attack patients be different from a similar
group of healthy patients?, and
– formed the hypothesis that healthy patients’ body
fat would contain less trans fats than the body fat
in heart attack victims.

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The process of science: case study

• The researchers set up an experiment to

determine the amounts of fat in the adipose tissue
of 79 patients who had experienced a heart attack.
• They compared these patients to the data for 167
patients who had not experienced a heart attack.
• This is an example of a controlled experiment, in
which the control and experimental groups differ
only in one variable—the occurrence of a heart
attack.

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The process of science: case study
• The results showed significantly higher levels of
trans fats in the bodies of the heart attack patients.

(g trans fat per 100 g total fat)

Trans fats in adipose tissue
2.0 1.77
1.48
1.5

1.0

0.5

0
Heart attack Control
patients group
The process of science: case study

Are trans fat bad for you?

YES! It increases heart attack risk.

• Read nutrition labels and avoid

trans fats as much as possible
in your own diet.
Example 3

Many poisonous animals  brightly coloured and have

distinctive patterns

Serves as a warning ='dangerous species' to predators

There are also 'mimics'.

Mimic =harmless but why look poisonous?

A hypothesis is that it is an evolutionary adaptation to

decreases the chance being eaten.
In 2001, David and Karin Pfennig +undergraduate student William
Harcombe

Field experiments to test that mimics benefit because predators confuse

them with harmful species.

Venomous snake = 'Eastern Coral Snake' (red, yellow and black). Delivers
poison by stinging, stabbing or biting.

Predators rarely attack these snakes.

Any predators that eat the snake = dead so they cannot learn this avoidance
behaviour.

Conclusion = natural selection to inherit a 'instinct' to

avoid the snakes colouration.
A non-venoumous snake = 'Scarlet King Snake'

Mimics the Coral snake.

Both snakes live in North and South Carolina, USA

But King snakes can also be found in areas where there

are no Coral snakes.
Test the hypothesis the 'mimicry hypothesis: that mimicry
should help protect King snakes from predators',

Do experiments should be carried out in areas where both

snakes live and area where only King snakes live too.

Areas where there are 2 snakes = less chance of being eaten

Area where only King snake = more chance of being eaten

Theory = Predators are adapted to the warning colouration

Eastern
Scarlet
Coral
King
Snake
Snake
Fake
Snakes
Harcombe  100s of artificial snakes with wire and 'plasticine'.

Experimental group: coloured pattern of king snakes

Control group: Plain brown snakes.

Equal numbers of fake snakes  North and South Carolina +

areas where there were no Coral snakes.

Common predators = foxes, coyotes, racoons and black bears.

How many fake snakes were attacked i.e. bite and claw
marks?
4 weeks later

1. More King snakes attacked when no Coral snakes present

2. Less King snakes attacked when Coral snakes were
present in that area.
So how do you tell
the difference
between Coral and
King Snake?

1) The bands are

slightly different

2) The colour of the

head is different
Red touches yellow, kills a fellow. Red touches black, friend of Jack.
Red touches yellow, kills a fellow. Red touches black, venom lack.
Red touches yellow, death says hello. Black touches red, keep your head.
Yellow touches red, you'll be dead. Red touches black, eat Cracker Jacks.
Red touches yellow, you're a dead fellow. Red touches black you're all
right Jack.
Does HK have Coral Snakes too?

YES!! These are the most venomous snakes in HK

THE CULTURE OF SCIENCE
Most scientists work in teams including undergraduate and graduate
students.

Share information  publications, seminars, meetings and personal

communication.

Scientists confirm or repeat experiments  statistics.

Science seeks natural causes for natural phenomena.

Can be measured directly or observed.

Experiments can be repeated, it is challenging, adventurous and needs

luck as well as careful planning, reasoning, creativity, cooperation,
competitive, patient and persistence.

Science cannot support or falsify these supernatural claims and are

outside the bounds of science.
INTRODUCTORY LIFE SCIENCE
At our 1st lecture, we want to discuss
• What is LIFE?
• What is SCIENCE?
• What is LIFE SCIENCE?
Life science, biotechnology and Society

• Science and technology are interdependent.

– New technologies advance science.
– Scientific discoveries lead to new technologies.
– For example, the discovery of the structure of
DNA about 60 years ago led to a variety of DNA
technologies.

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Life science, biotechnology and Society

– Technology has improved our standard of living

in many ways, but it is a double-edged sword.
– Technology that keeps people healthier has
enabled the human population to double to
7 billion in just the past 40 years.
– The environmental consequences of this
population growth may be devastating.

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