Introduction to biology Jana Hložková ▪ the most diversified science ▪ a huge range of biological disciplines ▪ from macromolecular complexes ranging from nanometers to ecology on a global scale Structural Molecular biology Cytology, or cell biology Genetics Developmental biology Physiological Physiology Anatomy Evolutionary Paleontology Population genetics Theory of evolution Environmental Ecology General Ecology Global ecology Ecology of microorganisms Ecology of the forest and the sea Ecology of an individual (autecology), populations (demekology), communities (synecology), E. of biomes Ethology ▪ Biology (from Greek bio meaning life and suffix logic - science life science) ▪ In the broadest sense, science is concerned with organisms, and everything related to them - from chemical processes at the level of atoms and molecules to the whole ecosystems ▪ Biology follows up relations between organisms and relationships with their life environment ▪ Michael Christoph Hanov - Philosophiae naturalis sive physicae dogmaticae: Geology, biology, phytology generalis et dendrologia (1766) - first use of the word „biology“. Jean-Baptista Lamarck (1744-1829) ▪ a theory of evolution based on the principle that physical changes in organisms during their lifetime—such as greater development of an organ or a part through increased use— could be transmitted to their offspring ▪ blacksmith’s arm ▪ the giraffe, seeking to browse higher and higher on the leaves of trees on which it feeds, stretches its neck Aristotle - described about 500 species - created the foundations of comparative anatomy and embryology - developed an elementary classification of animals. Claudius Galen - the first physician to use the pulse as a sign of illness. Some representative study areas included embryology, neurology, myology, respiration, reproductive medicine, and urology - improved the science and use of drugs in therapeutics - doctor of gladiators, emperors Marcus Aurelius, Commodus, - learning about the four bodily juices (blood, phlegm, bile, black bile) corresponding to the four elements (water, air, earth, fire) and their properties (moisture, dryness, heat, cold) • Avicenna - Ibn Síná Muslim physician, the most famous and influential of the philosopher-scientists of the medieval Islamic world. He composed the Kitāb al-shifāʾ (Book of the Cure), a vast philosophical and scientific encyclopaedia, and Al-Qānūn fī alṭibb (The Canon of Medicine), which is among the most famous books in the history of medicine. Biology as a science was brought into Europe William Harvey - the function of the heart and the circulation of blood Andreas Vesalius - illustrate human anatomy based on his findings from autopsies and dissections https://www.scienceinschool.org/article/2012/microscope/ Robert Hook Anton van Leeuwenhoek invented the first practical microscopes and used them to become the first person to see and describe bacteria, among other microscopic discoveries. Carl von Linne ▪ Carl Linnaeus (1707 - 1778) ▪ was a Swedish botanist who devised the binomial classification system, a two-part naming system to identify, classify and name organisms from bacteria to elephant. ▪ is often called the Father of Taxonomy J.E.Purkyně • pioneer Czech experimental physiologist whose investigations in the fields of histology, embryology, and pharmacology helped create a modern understanding of the eye and vision, brain and heart function, mammalian reproduction, and the composition of cells. • Purkinje fibers. These fibers were discovered by their namesake scientist in 1839. These fibers conduct the electrical impulses • Have you ever seen yourself reflecting in someone else’s eyes? Those reflections are called Purkinje images. • first to use a microtome in his lab. This handy tool cuts very thin slices of frozen tissue ▪ The most important biologist of the 19th century is Charles Darwin with his theory of evolution based on natural selection. ▪ Society's opposition - contrary to Christianity, later recognized as true ▪ Darwin's theory was misappropriated – racism, and eugenics Darwin's finches are a good example of adaptive radiation. It is an evolutionary process starting from a point in a geographical area, giving rise to new species depending upon habitat. Gregor Mendel - father of genetic • He was a Czech teacher, monk, priest, and later abbot of the Augustinian monastery in Staré Brno. • A rapid increase in genetics research • careful breeding of garden peas • discovered the basic principles of heredity and laid the mathematical foundation of the science of genetics. • discovered the basic laws of heredity Thomas Morgan • American evolutionary biologist, geneticist, embryologist • His work confirmed that genes are stored in chromosomes inside cell nuclei • (fierce opponent of this theory) • 1933 Nobel Prize awarded • Experiments with fruit flies Rosalind Franklin (1920-1953) • Using X-ray techniques took pictures of DNA and discovered the double helix shape of DNA. • Died of cancer due to unknown harmful affects of X-ray Maurice Wilkins • First scientists to create a model of DNA • It is still the model used today • Sides are made of sugar and phosphate molecules • Rungs of the ladder are made of nitrogen bases • Made of 5 elements: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, and phosphorus ▪ In 1966, American biochemists Har Gobin Khorana and Marshall Waren Nirenberg deciphered the genetic code. ▪ In the 1960s, the structure of RNA was elucidated. ▪ In 1989, American chemists Thomas Cech and Sidney Altman received the Nobel Prize for the discovery of autocatalytic RNA, which significantly advanced knowledge in the field of the origin and development of life on Earth mapping the genomes of various organisms, continuing in the 21st century. genetics and genomics, leading to a deeper understanding of how organisms function at the molecular level. Key areas include: 1. Genomics and personalized medicine – Genome sequencing enables better understanding of diseases, individualized treatments, and the development of precision medicine. 2. Biotechnology – Genetic modification is used in agriculture, medicine (e.g., CRISPR), and industrial production. 3. Epigenetics – Study of how environmental factors influence gene expression without changing the DNA sequence. 4. Synthetic biology – Creating artificial biological systems or organisms. 5. Evolutionary biology and biodiversity – Understanding human impact on ecosystems and finding ways to preserve them. 6. Neuroscience – Advancing knowledge of brain structure and function, including research on consciousness and artificial intelligence. 7. Ecology and climate change – Studying the effects of human activities on the planet and seeking sustainable solutions for the future. 1. Cell theory -living organisms are made up of cells, they are the basic structural/organizational unit of all organisms. Cell - the basic unit of reproduction. 2. Evolution - in biology, it is an indication of the gradual change in the genetic properties of organisms and the process of natural selection. 3. Gene theory - the properties of all living organisms are encoded in genes. 4. Homeostasis - physiological processes that maintain stable internal conditions in the body, regardless of external conditions 5. Energy - the essential feature of every living organism is the use of energy. - The survival of every animal and plant depends on its constant supply Maynard-Smith and Szathmary (1995) - two options for the definition of "living„ phenotype vs. genotype. • Phenotypic approach - the entity is alive if it has parts or "organs" that perform a function. • Genotypic approach - living entities have properties such as proliferation, variability, and inheritance. Chemical construction Cellular nature Metabolism Growth Reproduction Heredity Variation Movement Evolution Irritability Differentiation Regeneration Adaptation 1. Creationism • Creation theory assumes the intervention of a supernatural power, i.e. God • C. Linné, R. Hooke or J.B. Lamarck 2. Extraterrestrial origin (Panspermia) • the hypothesis that life exists throughout the Universe, distributed by space dust, meteoroids, asteroids, comets, and planetoids, as well as by spacecraft carrying unintended contamination by microorganisms • Panspermia is a fringe theory with little support among mainstream scientists (Crick). • The theory of self-breeding organisms can arise directly from inanimate matter (Aristotle) • a theory already stated by ancient philosophers but disproved in the middle of the 19th century - in 2000 years! • the creation of organisms directly from inanimate matter (e.g. frogs from mud, mice from grain, etc.) • was disproved by the French chemist Louis Pasteur • the emergence of life through gradual development on Earth the sequence first includes the formation of basic building materials of organisms (amino acids, lipids, sugars) and informative macromolecules (nucleic acids) with subsequent replication and evolution • archea (Archaea, Archaebacteria) • bacteria (Bacteria, Eubacteria) • eukaryota (Eukaryota) • ? NCLDV (nucleocytoplasmic large DNA viruses) group of large DNA nuclear-cytoplasmic viruses (? 2010) Linnaeus 17317355 Haeckel 18661866 Chatton 11925 Copeland 1938 Whittaker 1969[60] Woese et al. 1990 Cavalier- Smith 11998 Cavalier- Smith 2015 2 kingdoms 3 kingdoms 2 empires 4 kingdoms 5 kingdoms 3 domains 2 empires, 6 kingdoms 2 empires, 7 kingdoms (not treated) Protista Prokaryota Monera Monera Bacteria Bacteria Bacteria Archaea Archaea Eukaryota Protoctista Protista Eucarya Protozoa Protozoa Chromista Chromista Vegetabilia Plantae Plantae Plantae Plantae Plantae Fungi Fungi Fungi Animalia Animalia Animalia Animalia Animalia Animalia PROKARYOTIC CELL EUCARYOTIC CELL Achea Bacteria  Plants  Animals  Fungi _Image credit: modified from "Prokaryotic cells: Figure 1" by OpenStax College, Biology, CC BY 3.0_ PROKARYOTIC CELL EUCARYOTIC CELL  No nucleus  No membrane – enclosed organelles  Usually singele circular chromosome  No cytosceleton  No streaming in the cytoplasm  Cell division without mitosis  Simple flagella  Small ribosomes  No cellulose in the walls  No histone protein in chromosome  A nucleus  Membrane – enclosed organelles  Linear chromosomes in pair  Cytosceleton  streaming in the cytoplasm  Cell division with mitosis  Complex flagella with mikrotubules  Larger ribosomes  cellulose in the walls  DNA bound to histones https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cytoplasmic_streami ng.webm Eukaryotic cell ANIMAL CELL PLANT CELL image modified from OpenStax Biology. Plant cell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TvQNRyWIKws https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2H3-yBjwkPc Animal Cell https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iGlryqAhSs&t=195s Specialized cells https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNe6RuK0FfA Intoduction to the cell (youtube.com) Thank you for your attention ☺