Group items tagged

Reference  page with definition and many links to information on bioaccumulation

definition of benign and malignant 1:40

Concept maps are tools for organizing and representing knowledge. They include concepts, usually enclosed in circles or boxes of some type, and relationships between concepts or propositions, (indicated by a connecting line and linking word) between two concepts. Linking words on the line specify the relationship between the two concepts. Joe Novak defines "concept" as a perceived regularity in events or objects, or records of events or objects, designated by a label. Think of the concept "Dog" in your mind, what do you see? You might see a prototype shape (head, four legs etc) and typical examples (terrier, collie, sheepdog) and even be able to explain it (give a definition) in words. The label for most concepts is a word, although sometimes we use symbols such as + or %. Propositions are statements about some object or event in the universe, either naturally occurring or constructed. Propositions contain two or more concepts connected with other words to form a meaningful statement. Sometimes these are called semantic units,or units of meaning. Figure 1 shows an example of a concept map that describes the structure of concept maps and illustrates the above characteristics.

Taxonomy is the study of scientific classification, in particular the classification of living organisms according to their natural relationships. Taxonomy's first father was the philosopher Aristotle (384-322 BC), sometimes called the "father of science." It was Aristotle who first introduced the two key concepts of taxonomy as we practice it today: classification of oranisms by type and binomial definition.

This case study focuses on the intersection of defining a scientific species and defining a legal species. The compelling story of Lolita, an orca whale in captivity, is used to highlight the legal significance of species declaration. Students will work through scientific species definitions and data on Orca whales before deciding if Orca whales should be considered as one or several species. After an introduction to Lolita and a mock town hall meeting, students are thrown into the real life situation of contemplating the fate of an Orca in captivity that suddenly has protected legal status. This case was developed for use in a first-year biology course focusing on ecology, genetics, and evolution. It also could be used in upper or lower division courses on ecology, evolution, or conservation.

For anyone with a deep, enduring faith in the meaning of nature, it may come as something of a shock to learn that the word "natural" means nothing at all-at least when it comes to the business of marketing processed food. Every year, U.S. corporations sell tens of billions of dollars worth of food products labeled as "natural." Yet, to this day, the Food and Drug Administration has never formally defined the term. The word is a kind of orphan child, undefined by government, misused by industry and without a provenance or a use for the average American consumer.

Say a red gummy bear has a baby with a yellow gummy bear - what percentage of red and yellow do the parents give to their children? Well, assuming gummy bear genetics works the same way we do, they'll have one set of chromosomes from their mum and one from their dad - so 50 percent from each - easy!