http://equalsmcsquared.livejournal.com/ ([identity profile] equalsmcsquared.livejournal.com) wrote in [community profile] fandomhigh2005-09-20 10:38 am
Entry tags:

Biology

*Why no, the science teacher isn't following a set theme. And this should make the students who were complaining about no chemistry much happier.*

Today, we will be discussing the chemicals one would find in a cell. If you would open your notes to page 24. And don't forget to sign the roll sheet--two consecutive absences will earn you detention. I will post lists later on this week.

Reductionism is an assumption that underlies much of contemporary science. The central premise: To understand a complex system, break the system down into its parts. This has been a very successful program for many areas of biology (though not for all). It can, if applied overly dogmatically, lead to an overly mechanical view of the cell. But it is a useful approach, and one that generates an extraordinary volume of research.
* Hierarchic view of life: to understand life fully, need to study it at different levels
* The cell is a chemical machine; its parts and its language are chemical
* Need sophisticated tools to analyze the components: chromatography,electrophoresis, etc.
* Biochemistry is study of these parts

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