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Chapter 10

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You might be surprised that there is no simple definition of life. If you know how Dr. Art explains science, you will not be surprised to discover that he provides a systems view of life. In addition, learn how proteins and DNA make us bilingual, and how the genetic code connects these huge molecules.

Multimedia

  • Carbon: Ingredient for Life
    This video segment adapted from NOVA illustrates the special characteristics of carbon that make it an essential ingredient for life.
  • One Wrong Letter
    In Chapter 10, we discuss how the change in one DNA base causes a change in one amino acid, causing the disease sickle cell anemia. This video describes a different genetic defect causing Tay-Sachs disease.
  • Single-Celled Organisms
    This video shows the wide diversity of single-celled organisms, and the features they have in common.

Links

  • DNA Interactive
    After you learn the basics from Dr. Art, this website from the Howard Hughes Medical Institute will help you become an expert on DNA and the genetic code.
  • Genetics Science Learning Center
    Review what you learned in Chapter 10, and then go deeper into the science of biochemistry and molecular biology.
  • Rosalind Franklin
    Find out about Rosalind Franklin, a scientist who provided the decisive clue in figuring out the structure of DNA, but who did not receive the honors that were due her.

Just Kidding

Eureka! Urea!, page 165
As far as I know, the German chemist Friedrich Wohler did not run in the streets in 1828 shouting “Eureka! Urea!” However, a famous science story is that more than 2,000 years ago, Archimedes ran through the streets shouting Eureka! (meaning “I have found it”). He had figured out a way to prove whether a crown bought by King Hieron II was pure gold. The king suspected that he had been cheated, and asked Archimedes to test the crown. Archimedes discovered the answer while bathing, and rumor has it that he did not put his clothes on before running in the street.

Missing Words, page 163
The caption for the illustration on page 163 is missing three words "made of cells." Do you think I left those words out on purpose as a weird Just Kidding, or was it a typo mistake by the printer?
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