🧪 UNIT 1: INTRO TO BIOLOGY (Lessons 1–7)
What is Biology?
- Biology = study of life
- Includes:
- Living vs nonliving (biotic vs abiotic)
- Structure and function
- Interactions with environment
Characteristics of Life
1. Made of cells
- All living things have one or more cells
- Cells = basic unit of life
2. Use energy
- Plants → photosynthesis (chloroplasts)
- Animals → cellular respiration (mitochondria)
3. Respond to stimuli
- React to environment
- Examples:
- Light → squint
- Sound → jump
4. Reproduce
- Asexual → one parent (identical offspring)
- Sexual → two parents (variation)
5. Grow, develop, die
- Life cycle:
- Beginning → growth → aging → death
6. Maintain homeostasis
- Keep internal conditions stable:
- Body temperature
- Water balance
- Heart rate
Biotic vs Abiotic
- Biotic = living or once living
- Abiotic = nonliving
Evolution (Intro Level)
- Natural selection = organisms better suited survive
- Populations change over time
🔬 UNIT 2: SCIENTIFIC THINKING & ORGANIZATION (Lessons ~19–20)
Levels of Organization
From smallest to largest:
- Atom
- Molecule
- Organelle
- Cell
- Tissue
- Organ
- Organ system
- Organism
- Population
- Community
Structure vs Function
- Structure determines what something does
- Example:
- Lungs → spongy → gas exchange
- Roots → absorb water
🧫 UNIT 3: CELLS (Lessons 21–36)
What are Cells?
- Basic unit of life
- All organisms are made of cells
Types of Cells
Prokaryotic
- No nucleus
- Simple
- Example: bacteria
Eukaryotic
- Has nucleus
- More complex
- Example: plants, animals
Cell Organelles (Know Functions)
- Nucleus → control center (DNA)
- Mitochondria → energy
- Ribosomes → protein production
- Cell membrane → controls entry/exit
- Cytoplasm → fluid where reactions happen
Cell Membrane & Transport
Passive Transport (no energy)
- Diffusion → movement high → low concentration
- Osmosis → diffusion of water
Active Transport (requires energy)
- Moves against concentration gradient
Homeostasis in Cells
- Cells maintain internal balance
- Membrane controls what enters/leaves
Important Terms
- Hypertonic → water leaves cell
- Hypotonic → water enters cell
- Isotonic → balanced
🧬 UNIT 4: BIOCHEMISTRY (Lessons 37–45)
Water & pH
Water Properties
- Cohesion (sticks to itself)
- Adhesion (sticks to other things)
- Exists as solid, liquid, gas
pH Scale
- Acid (<7)
- Neutral (7)
- Base (>7)
Molecules
Atoms → Molecules → Compounds
You should understand:
- How atoms bond
- Basic structure of molecules
Macromolecules
1. Carbohydrates
- Function: quick energy
- Examples: glucose, starch
2. Lipids
- Function:
- Long-term energy
- Cell membranes
- Examples: fats, oils
3. Proteins
- Made of amino acids
- Functions:
- Enzymes (speed reactions)
- Structure
- Transport
4. Nucleic Acids
- DNA and RNA
- Store genetic information
Enzymes
- Proteins that speed up reactions
- Important for metabolism
📝 WHAT YOU SHOULD BE ABLE TO DO
After Lesson 45, you should be able to:
Explain:
- What makes something alive
- How cells function
- How substances move in/out of cells
- What macromolecules do
Identify:
- Cell structures and functions
- Types of transport
- Biomolecules
Apply:
- Biotic vs abiotic
- Structure vs function
- Homeostasis
⚡ QUICK MEMORY SUMMARY
If you had to condense everything:
- Life = cells + energy + homeostasis + reproduction
- Cells = basic unit
- Membrane = controls movement
- Energy = needed for life
- Macromolecules = build and run the body
(I asked ChatGPT to make a review of the first 45 lessons. Then I edited it some.)