More definitions and links to Twig Prep videos as a companion to Words (Chem. Ed.)
Respiration – whilst dictionaries and encyclopaedia will define this as ‘supplying the cells with oxygen’ we always use it in the sense of “the process within all living cells that releases energy from food molecules (usually glucose)”
aerobic – aerobic respiration requires oxygen and produces water and carbon dioxide as waste products
anaerobic – anaerobic respiration does not require oxygen and produces carbon dioxide and alcohol (or sometimes lactic acid) as waste products. When it involves bacteria or yeast it is often called fermentation.
Photosynthesis – the process by which green plants make glucose from the raw materials water and carbon dioxide, using sunlight as the energy source and chlorophyll as the catalyst.
Carbohydrate – a group of molecules made from carbon, hydrogen and oxygen that are an essential component of our diet
sugar – small energy-rich carbohydrates (soluble)
starch – complex chains of sugar molecules used as a storage material in plants (insoluble)
Protein – large molecules made from chains of amino acids that are a vital component of the diet providing raw materials for the growth and repair of cells.
amino acid – one of a number of small, organic molecules that contain the element nitrogen and are used as the building blocks for making proteins
gene – a strand of DNA that is the code for a single protein. The human genome contains genes for about 24,000 different proteins
enzyme – a biological catalyst that enables a reaction within the body
amylase – an enzyme that digests starch into glucose
lipase – any enzyme that helps to digest fats
protease – any enzyme that digests protein
Fat – a large molecule used as energy storage and insulation
saturated – a fat in which every carbon atom is linked with a single bond (C-C)
unsaturated – any fat in which at least one of the carbon to carbon bonds is a double bond (C=C)
Fibre (dietary) – sometimes called roughage is an important component of a balanced diet. It is composed of the indigestible, cellulose cell walls of plants that provide bulk to your food and help it to keep moving through your large intestine
Kingdom – one of five broad groups of organisms. Then subdivided into phylum, class, order, family, genus & species in classification
bacteria – single-celled micro-organisms that do not have a nucleus (prokaryotes)
protista – single-celled micro-organisms that do have a nucleus (eukaryotes)
fungi – a group of non photosynthesising organisms that live on the decaying remains of other organisms
plants – a group of multicellular organisms that make their own food by photosynthesis
animals – a group of multicellular food-eating organisms
Biological control – in a biology experiment, this is a reference sample to which the object being studied can be compared
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