3A_Biomolecules


 * __25th March 2010

Homeostasis__** - Homeostasis enables living organisms to maintain equilibrium despite the change in the external environment
 * Definition**

- Maintain equilibrium - Living system - Despite the change in the external environment

- Osmosis - Diffusion - Active Transport
 * Processes**

= = **ENERGY, MATTER & ORGANISATION -** BIOMOLECULES //** Living systems are complex and highly organized, and they require matter and energy to maintain this organization. **// - Energy is stored in fats in human beings. - Milk contains calcium that is used by young mammals to build bones. Proteins found in milk builds muscles in the body. - Water and Carbon Cycle
 * __Biomolecules__**
 * **Energy** is stored in the organization of matter
 * Living organisms use matter and energy to build and maintain body structures
 * Living organisms obtain and process matter and energy
 * The structure of a molecule always dictates its function.
 * The structure and function of biological living systems obeys the laws of thermodynamics.
 * Communities of organisms depend on the cycling of matter and the flow of energy
 * The constant flow of energy and cycling of matter in the biosphere leads to a balanced or steady state.

This balance is achieved through various biogeochemical cycles and the processes of photosynthesis and cellular respiration - //focus is on ENERGY//

The questions we ask about ourselves and the world around us: - Because the carbon atom has a valency of 4 so it can bond with 4 other atoms and produce different types of macromolecules each with different properties and functions. - Carbon can combine with itself.
 * Are we just chemicals?
 * Are we what we eat?
 * Why is the carbon molecule suitable for life as we know it?
 * Why is the chemistry of water suitable for life

- Energy cannot be created or destroyed, but it can be LOST, like in heat. - Change from one form to another form - Flow from one system to another system - Flow from one organism to another organism
 * Energy**