Kenmerken van het leven

Biology is the scientific study of life, where all living organisms share a few key characteristics.

The biological world has a highly organized and complex structure, from molecules inside each cell to the organ systems that make up an organism's body.

Organisms can reproduce to create offspring, which together form a population.

Their inherited genetic material provides instructions for growth and development, and small differences in this genetic material create variation among individuals.

They also show behaviors in response to the environment, such as burrowing during the day to stay cool in the desert.

Organisms regulate environmental interactions through both behavior and internal physiological processes. For instance, vascular regulation controls blood and heat flow in the ears of a desert hare.

These processes use chemical energy from food, which transforms into kinetic energy to perform work, such as running away from predators.

Over many generations, the interaction between environmental pressures and genetic variation allows populations to evolve through adaptation.

We can see this in populations that evolved long ears and slim bodies in hot deserts, and short ears and large bodies in cold Arctic regions.