Instructor Manual: Peffer, Biology for Life: A Guide to Our Living World, 1e, ©2027, 9780357975985;
Chapter 1: Invitation to Biology
Instructor Manual
Peffer, Biology for Life: A Guide to Our Living World, 1e, ©2027, 9780357975985;
Chapter 1: Invitation to Biology
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter ........................................................................... 2
Chapter Objectives ............................................................................................................... 2
Key Terms ............................................................................................................................. 3
Chapter Outline .................................................................................................................... 6
Additional Discussion Questions........................................................................................12
Additional Activities and Assignments .............................................................................. 13
Additional Resources .......................................................................................................... 15
External Videos or Playlist .......................................................................................................15
Internet Resources .....................................................................................................................15
Answers to Biology for Life Questions .............................................................................. 15
Answers to Process of Science Questions ........................................................................17
Answers to Digging into Data Questions .......................................................................... 18
Answers to Self-Quiz Questions ........................................................................................19
Answers to Critical Thinking Questions ............................................................................21
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© 2027 1
, Instructor Manual: Peffer, Biology for Life: A Guide to Our Living World, 1e, ©2027, 9780357975985;
Chapter 1: Invitation to Biology
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
The purpose of this chapter is to provide a foundational understanding of how
science, particularly biology, works. It explains the scientific process, the difference
between evidence and opinion, and how to identify pseudoscience, misinformation,
and disinformation. Students learn about the criteria that define life, the five big
ideas in biology, and the diverse places and people involved in scientific research. The
chapter also introduces the various branches of biology and emphasizes effective
learning techniques through the study cycle.
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are addressed in this chapter:
1-1 Explain how science works.
1-2 Compare and contrast hypotheses, scientific theories and scientific laws.
1-3 Explain what happens if data are produced that are inconsistent with an
established theory.
1-4 Discuss some ways to identify pseudoscience.
1-5 Compare and contrast mis- and disinformation.
1-6 Name strategies to protect yourself from mis- and disinformation.
1-7 Differentiate scientific evidence from opinion and personal.
1-8 Describe the field of biology.
1-9 Describe the criteria used to define life.
1-10 Explain the five big ideas in biology.
1-11 Describe the places where biological research occurs.
1-12 Describe the kinds of people who do science.
1-13 Compare and contrast different disciplines of biology.
1-14 Identify the parts of the study cycle.
1-15 Match different study strategies to different parts of the study cycle.
[return to top]
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© 2027 2
, Instructor Manual: Peffer, Biology for Life: A Guide to Our Living World, 1e, ©2027, 9780357975985;
Chapter 1: Invitation to Biology
KEY TERMS
Asexual reproduction: The process by which offspring are produced by a single
parent.
Bias: A predisposition to a belief, often in a way considered to be unfair or distorted,
that results in systematic errors in the collection or interpretation of scientific data.
Biology: the scientific study of life, including what it means to be alive, where life
came from, how life forms are organized, and how living things interact with each
other and their environment.
Cell: The smallest functional unit of life.
Claims: Data-informed statements that can be challenged through experimentation.
Concrete ideas: Part of a learning strategy in which abstract scientific concepts are
illustrated with real-world examples.
Confirmation bias: The tendency to seek evidence that aligns with one’s personal
beliefs or values and while denying, dismissing, or ignoring evidence that is contrary
to it, even unconsciously.
Conflict of interest: When a person’s interests or beliefs have the potential to
compromise their judgment.
Conservation biology: A field that aims to determine the best ways to preserve
biodiversity through protecting species, habitats, and ecosystems.
Control group: A group of individuals that does not receive the intervention that
researchers are studying. The control group is identical to the treatment group in all
other ways.
Correlation: A type of statistic that describes the relationship between two variables.
Data: Factual information generated by both deductive and inductive methods.
Deductive methods: A method of scientific inquiry that starts with a theory or
hypothesis which is then tested by collecting observations or running experiments.
Disinformation: The intentional and malicious spread of false information.
Dual coding: Learning strategy in which the learner uses two different formats for
representing information. For example, one could draw pictures and make written
notes.
Ecology: The scientific study of interactions among organisms, and between
organisms and their environment.
Elaboration: Learning strategy in which one connects new information that they are
learning to things they already know.
a
© 2027 3
, Instructor Manual: Peffer, Biology for Life: A Guide to Our Living World, 1e, ©2027, 9780357975985;
Chapter 1: Invitation to Biology
Energy: The capacity to do work.
Energy transformation: The recognition that living organisms depend on multiple
sources of energy for food, from the Sun (for most autotrophs) to the organic
molecules contained in other organisms (for heterotrophs), and that life depends on
energy transferred between organisms.
Evolution: The change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation
through processes such as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift; also known
as descent with modification.
Evolutionary biology: The subdiscipline of biology that studies the mechanisms and
patterns of biological evolution.
Evolve: Change in species over time due to changes in a population’s genetic
material.
Experiment: A procedure designed to evaluate a prediction, utilizing variables to
generate data that will show whether a hypothesis is supported or refuted.
Falsifiable: Able to be proven wrong by experimentation or other means of collecting
data.
Firsthand bias: The tendency to believe something is more common than it is
because it happened to us or someone close to us.
Generalizable: Can be applied to larger populations or has wider application.
Homeostasis: The process by which the body maintains internal conditions that
different from the outside environment within a range that is required by the body’'s
cells.
Hypothesis: A testable explanation for a natural phenomenon.
Immunology: The study of the immune system, which is the system that protects our
bodies from infection.
Imposter syndrome: Imposter syndrome is when someone feels like a phony or that
they don’t belong.
Inductive methods: A method of scientific inquiry that starts with data, often in the
form of observations about the natural world, that are then used to generate a
hypothesis.
Infodemic: The rapid, worldwide dissemination of unreliable information.
Information flow: In biology, the recognition that genetic material stores information
and this information is shared across individuals.
Interdisciplinary research: The study of a scientific question that involves concepts
from multiple scientific disciplines.
a
© 2027 4
Chapter 1: Invitation to Biology
Instructor Manual
Peffer, Biology for Life: A Guide to Our Living World, 1e, ©2027, 9780357975985;
Chapter 1: Invitation to Biology
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Purpose and Perspective of the Chapter ........................................................................... 2
Chapter Objectives ............................................................................................................... 2
Key Terms ............................................................................................................................. 3
Chapter Outline .................................................................................................................... 6
Additional Discussion Questions........................................................................................12
Additional Activities and Assignments .............................................................................. 13
Additional Resources .......................................................................................................... 15
External Videos or Playlist .......................................................................................................15
Internet Resources .....................................................................................................................15
Answers to Biology for Life Questions .............................................................................. 15
Answers to Process of Science Questions ........................................................................17
Answers to Digging into Data Questions .......................................................................... 18
Answers to Self-Quiz Questions ........................................................................................19
Answers to Critical Thinking Questions ............................................................................21
a
© 2027 1
, Instructor Manual: Peffer, Biology for Life: A Guide to Our Living World, 1e, ©2027, 9780357975985;
Chapter 1: Invitation to Biology
PURPOSE AND PERSPECTIVE OF THE CHAPTER
The purpose of this chapter is to provide a foundational understanding of how
science, particularly biology, works. It explains the scientific process, the difference
between evidence and opinion, and how to identify pseudoscience, misinformation,
and disinformation. Students learn about the criteria that define life, the five big
ideas in biology, and the diverse places and people involved in scientific research. The
chapter also introduces the various branches of biology and emphasizes effective
learning techniques through the study cycle.
CHAPTER OBJECTIVES
The following objectives are addressed in this chapter:
1-1 Explain how science works.
1-2 Compare and contrast hypotheses, scientific theories and scientific laws.
1-3 Explain what happens if data are produced that are inconsistent with an
established theory.
1-4 Discuss some ways to identify pseudoscience.
1-5 Compare and contrast mis- and disinformation.
1-6 Name strategies to protect yourself from mis- and disinformation.
1-7 Differentiate scientific evidence from opinion and personal.
1-8 Describe the field of biology.
1-9 Describe the criteria used to define life.
1-10 Explain the five big ideas in biology.
1-11 Describe the places where biological research occurs.
1-12 Describe the kinds of people who do science.
1-13 Compare and contrast different disciplines of biology.
1-14 Identify the parts of the study cycle.
1-15 Match different study strategies to different parts of the study cycle.
[return to top]
a
© 2027 2
, Instructor Manual: Peffer, Biology for Life: A Guide to Our Living World, 1e, ©2027, 9780357975985;
Chapter 1: Invitation to Biology
KEY TERMS
Asexual reproduction: The process by which offspring are produced by a single
parent.
Bias: A predisposition to a belief, often in a way considered to be unfair or distorted,
that results in systematic errors in the collection or interpretation of scientific data.
Biology: the scientific study of life, including what it means to be alive, where life
came from, how life forms are organized, and how living things interact with each
other and their environment.
Cell: The smallest functional unit of life.
Claims: Data-informed statements that can be challenged through experimentation.
Concrete ideas: Part of a learning strategy in which abstract scientific concepts are
illustrated with real-world examples.
Confirmation bias: The tendency to seek evidence that aligns with one’s personal
beliefs or values and while denying, dismissing, or ignoring evidence that is contrary
to it, even unconsciously.
Conflict of interest: When a person’s interests or beliefs have the potential to
compromise their judgment.
Conservation biology: A field that aims to determine the best ways to preserve
biodiversity through protecting species, habitats, and ecosystems.
Control group: A group of individuals that does not receive the intervention that
researchers are studying. The control group is identical to the treatment group in all
other ways.
Correlation: A type of statistic that describes the relationship between two variables.
Data: Factual information generated by both deductive and inductive methods.
Deductive methods: A method of scientific inquiry that starts with a theory or
hypothesis which is then tested by collecting observations or running experiments.
Disinformation: The intentional and malicious spread of false information.
Dual coding: Learning strategy in which the learner uses two different formats for
representing information. For example, one could draw pictures and make written
notes.
Ecology: The scientific study of interactions among organisms, and between
organisms and their environment.
Elaboration: Learning strategy in which one connects new information that they are
learning to things they already know.
a
© 2027 3
, Instructor Manual: Peffer, Biology for Life: A Guide to Our Living World, 1e, ©2027, 9780357975985;
Chapter 1: Invitation to Biology
Energy: The capacity to do work.
Energy transformation: The recognition that living organisms depend on multiple
sources of energy for food, from the Sun (for most autotrophs) to the organic
molecules contained in other organisms (for heterotrophs), and that life depends on
energy transferred between organisms.
Evolution: The change in the gene pool of a population from generation to generation
through processes such as mutation, natural selection, and genetic drift; also known
as descent with modification.
Evolutionary biology: The subdiscipline of biology that studies the mechanisms and
patterns of biological evolution.
Evolve: Change in species over time due to changes in a population’s genetic
material.
Experiment: A procedure designed to evaluate a prediction, utilizing variables to
generate data that will show whether a hypothesis is supported or refuted.
Falsifiable: Able to be proven wrong by experimentation or other means of collecting
data.
Firsthand bias: The tendency to believe something is more common than it is
because it happened to us or someone close to us.
Generalizable: Can be applied to larger populations or has wider application.
Homeostasis: The process by which the body maintains internal conditions that
different from the outside environment within a range that is required by the body’'s
cells.
Hypothesis: A testable explanation for a natural phenomenon.
Immunology: The study of the immune system, which is the system that protects our
bodies from infection.
Imposter syndrome: Imposter syndrome is when someone feels like a phony or that
they don’t belong.
Inductive methods: A method of scientific inquiry that starts with data, often in the
form of observations about the natural world, that are then used to generate a
hypothesis.
Infodemic: The rapid, worldwide dissemination of unreliable information.
Information flow: In biology, the recognition that genetic material stores information
and this information is shared across individuals.
Interdisciplinary research: The study of a scientific question that involves concepts
from multiple scientific disciplines.
a
© 2027 4
