Republic of the Philippines

PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY

Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

MODULE 1
Scope, Methods and Tools of Biology

Name of student : Week/Period : Week 2-3

Course Title : Microbiology and Parasitology for Name of Faculty: Engr. Emelina R. Padayao
Environmental Engineering
Term : First Semester, Academic Year 2022-2023

INTRODUCTION

Biology is the study of living things. This includes everything imaginable associated to the
life on Earth. It can be very broad as it encompasses the cellular basis of living things, the energy
metabolism that underlies the activities of life, and the genetic basis for inheritance in
organisms. Biology also includes the study of evolutionary relationships among organisms and
the diversity of life on Earth. It considers the biology of microorganisms, plants, and animals and
it brings together the structural and functional relationships that underlie their day-to-day
activities. Biology draws on the sciences of chemistry and physics for its foundations and applies
the laws of these disciplines to living things. Studying living things, called organisms, takes us all
around the world, from the most productive tropical rain forests to the hostile lands of
Antarctica or the deepest oceanic basins. As humans are living things, we have a natural sense of
curiosity and affection towards life and how has come to be.

This module will provide a broad introduction about the scope of Biology. This also
discusses the different methods, tools and techniques used in biological experiments.

I. Learning Objectives

At the end of this module, students should be able to:

 Identify and familiarize the different methods and tools used in Biology.

 Demonstrate the use and practical applications of the different biological methods and tools.
 Ensure that the students are able to handle/use the tools used in biology.
 Perform some biological methods and/or techniques in laboratory.
 Present how the mammalian animals used in laboratory testing for research purposes.
 Understand their importance in research and development.
 Identify Biologists/Scientists who greatly contributed in the field of Biology.

II. Lesson/Topics

 Scope of Biology
 Methods and tools of Biology: Nature of Science; Science skills and methods; Tools of
Biology; Techniques in Biology

Overview
Warm-Up
Give three things that you expect you will learn in this module.
1. ________________________________________________________________
2. ________________________________________________________________
3. ________________________________________________________________

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 Republic of the Philippines
PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

The Different Fields of Study in Biology

https://onlinesciencenotes.com/scope-of-biology/#:~:text=Biology%3A,living%20organisms%20is%20called%20biology.

Biology is the science which deals with the study of structure, organization, life
processes, interactions, origin and evolution of living organisms. Aristotle is regarded to as the
Father of Biology.

The scope of biology is broad and therefore contains many branches and sub-disciplines.
Biologists may pursue one of those sub-disciplines and work in a more focused field. For
instance, molecular biology and biochemistry study biological processes at the molecular and
chemical level, including interactions among molecules such as DNA, RNA, and proteins, as well
as the way they are regulated. Microbiology, the study of microorganisms, is the study of the
structure and function of single-celled organisms. It is quite a broad branch itself, and depending
on the subject of study, there are also microbial physiologists, ecologists, and geneticists, among
others.

Another field of biological study is neurobiology which studies the biology of the nervous
system, and although it is considered a branch of biology, it is also recognized as an
interdisciplinary field of study known as neuroscience. Because of its interdisciplinary nature,
this sub-discipline studies different functions of the nervous system using molecular, cellular,
developmental, medical, and computational approaches.

Paleontology, another branch of biology, uses fossils to study life’s history. Zoology and
botany are the study of animals and plants, respectively. Biologists can also specialize as
biotechnologists, ecologists, or physiologists, to name just a few areas. This is just a small sample
of the many fields that biologists can pursue.

Biology is the culmination of the achievements of the natural sciences from their
inception to today. Excitingly, it is the cradle of emerging sciences, such as the biology of brain
activity, genetic engineering of custom organisms, and the biology of evolution that uses the
laboratory tools of molecular biology to retrace the earliest stages of life on earth. A scan of
news headlines—whether reporting on immunizations, a newly discovered species, sports
doping, or a genetically modified food—demonstrates the way biology is active in and important
to our everyday world.

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 Republic of the Philippines
PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

Biology reveals to us the secrets of life uncovered by biologists through centuries of

researches. It is of great importance to mankind in a practical sense and has various scopes,
some of which are given below:

 Anthropology is the science of man and mankind including the study of the physical and
mental constitution of man. It also deals with the cultural development, social tradition
as exhibited by them both in their past and present.

 Biomedical engineering is the branch of engineering dealing with the production of spare
parts for man. Biomedical engineers help in manufacturing of artificial limbs, heart, lungs
etc. used by doctors to help impaired bodies function properly.

 Biotechnology deals with the use of living organisms or of substances obtained from
them in industrial processes.

 Food technology is the science of processing and preservation of healthy foods.

 Dairy technology is the application of science for the manufacture of milk product.

 Apiculture is the rearing of honey bees, bee keeping especially for commercial purposes.

 Fishery or Pisiculture is the industry of rearing and catching fish or the products of the
sea, lakes, rivers or ponds.

 Sericulture is the breeding and treatment of silkworms for producing raw silk.

 Genetic engineering involves genetic manipulations to produce an organism with a new

combination of genes to improve the varieties.

 Application of scientific knowledge to question civil and criminal laws is called forensic
science which includes the study of finger prints, blood typing etc.

 Veterinary medicine deals with the study of domesticated animals and their health care.

 Science dealing with the rearing of domestic fowls such as chicken, ducks, turkeys etc. is
called poultry science.

 Forensic science is the application of science to answer questions related to the law.
Forensic scientists provide scientific evidence for use in courts, and their job involves
examining trace materials associated with crimes. Likewise, the development of
molecular techniques and the establishment of DNA databases have expanded the types
of work that forensic scientists can do.

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 Republic of the Philippines
PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

Forensic scientist working DNA extraction

(credit: United States Army CID Command Public Affairs)

 Medicine is the science of treating diseases with drugs or curative substances.

 The science dealing with the study of nature of diseases, their causes, symptoms and
effects is called pathology.

 The branch of medicine involving the physical operations to cure diseases or injuries to
the body is called surgery.

 The science of knowledge of drugs and preparation of medicine or drugs is called

pharmacology.

 Care of teeth, including cleaning and polishing, removal of spoiled teeth, filling and fitting
of artificial teeth is called dentistry.

 Therapy is a method of treatment of convalescents and for physically handicapped

people utilizing light work of diversion, physical exercise or vocational training is called
occupational therapy.

 The treatment of diseases, bodily weakness or defects by physical remedies such as

massage and exercise is called physiotherapy.

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 Republic of the Philippines
PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

Biological Methods

Practice question:

The image in the right is a circle of

mushrooms. Your friend excitedly tells
you that it was caused by fairies
dancing in a circle on the grass the night
before. How will you explain it to your
friend using the process of science?

Scientific Inquiry

Biologist use the scientific inquiry as a best approach in understanding the natural world
and predicting natural phenomena. Nevertheless, scientific inquiry has not displaced faith,
intuition, and dreams. These traditions and ways of knowing have emotional value and provide
moral guidance to many people. But hunches, feelings, deep convictions, old traditions, or
dreams cannot be accepted directly as scientifically valid. Instead, science limits itself to ideas
that can be tested through verifiable observations. Supernatural claims that events are caused
by ghosts, devils, God, or other spiritual entities cannot be tested in this way.

Experiments and Hypotheses

An experiment is an empirical procedure that arbitrates competing models or

hypotheses. Researchers use experimentation to test existing theories or new hypotheses to
support or disprove them. An experiment is a carefully organized procedure in which the
scientist intervenes in a system to change something, the results usually either support or
disprove the hypothesis. Hence, it is a procedure carried out to support, refute, or validate
a hypothesis

Forming a Hypothesis

When conducting scientific experiments, researchers develop hypotheses to guide

experimental design. A hypothesis is a suggested explanation that is both testable and
falsifiable. You must be able to test your hypothesis, and it must be possible to prove your
hypothesis true or false.

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 Republic of the Philippines
PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

The Scientific Method

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 Republic of the Philippines
PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

Try these:

1. Disposal of solid wastes generated of the residents nearby the creek significantly affect the water
quality.
a. No. This statement is not testable or falsifiable.
b. No. This statement is not testable.
c. No. This statement is not falsifiable.
d. Yes. This statement is testable and falsifiable.

2. Somebody said that Nora had a skin cancer because she was punished for her misdeeds and bad
behaviours.
a. No. This statement is not testable or falsifiable.
b. No. This statement is not testable.
c. No. This statement is not falsifiable.
d. Yes. This statement is testable and falsifiable.

Biology: Research Methods

Research Methods in the Biological Sciences are as numerous and varied as the the diversity of
questions asked and the phenomenon studied. They include the following:

1. Experimental research - experiments can be carried out in the laboratory or in the field.

 Regardless of where the research takes place, the data may be obtained using molecular
techniques like Southern blots and PCR, genetic tests, cell culture and imaging,
biochemical assays, physiological measurements, surveys, questionnaires, interviews, etc.
 These approaches emphasize quantitative rather than qualitative data, often incorporate
statistical analysis, and draw conclusions based on deduction rather than induction
 They are the most widely used research methods in biology

2. Observational research - observations are often used to generate a question and hypothesis,
but can also be used to test them.

 These studies are not controlled experiments, but can nevertheless be a useful first step in
the answering of biological questions

3. Surveys, questionnaires, and interviews - these approaches are often used in studies of
human biology, behavior, and psychology. To obtain valid results using these methods, there
are a number of considerations:

 First, there must be evidence that the subjects will respond to items in a consistent way if
the measure is administered a second time.
 Second, if the items are to be combined into scales, there must be evidence that they
represent a single dimension—this concept is referred to as “internal consistency.”

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 Republic of the Philippines
PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

 Third, there must be evidence that the measurements are valid, that is, that the test items
or survey questions actually tap the construct the experimenter is trying to measure.

4. Bibliographical and archival research - these include a wide range of studies that involve
theoretical, interpretive, and phenomenological analyses.

 Questions that originate in biographical, historical, or philosophical issues - or that focus

upon intellectual history or sources of influence - are associated with this category
 Many questions in biology are inescapably connected with philosophical issues and
questions of historical interpretation
 History of Science, Technology, and Medicine Topics - these fields focus upon the life and
work of a particular psychologist or scientist, the medical influences upon Freud or
another researcher, or the development of the idea of natural selection since the time of
Charles Darwin

5. Biology education research - it is common to compare one or more teaching approaches

using naturally occurring groups such as children in a specific school or students in two
parallel sections of the same course.

YouTube Tutorials/Discussions (Supplemental lessons):

1. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s4FYzFvJusM
2. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0DmBKtekhJo
3. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j7QTRlDvzg

Announcement!

A 25-item online quiz will be given.

Be prepared. Good luck!

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 Republic of the Philippines
PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

Tools of Biology

A researcher using a microscope to examine a specimen in the laboratory plate, transferring microbial biomass from the culture
© Radu Razvan/Fotolia

1. Microscope

A microscope is an instrument that can be used to observe small objects, even cells. The
image of an object is magnified through at least one lens in the microscope. This lens bends
light toward the eye and makes an object appear larger than it actually is.

Types of microscopes

There are many types of microscopes that you can find in the market today. All you need
to do is to determine what it is used for.

• Compound Microscope – a high power

(high magnification) microscope that uses a
compound lens system. A compound
microscope has multiple lenses: the
objective lens (typically 4x, 10x, 40x or
100x) is compounded (multiplied) by the
eyepiece lens (typically 10x) to obtain a
high magnification of 40x, 100x, 400x and
1000x. While the eyepieces and the
objective lenses create high magnification,
a condenser beneath the stage focuses the
light directly into the sample.
- Often referred to as biological
microscope.
- Also termed brightfield or transmitted light microscope

Some other types of compound microscope:

 Phase contrast microscope – a compound microscope that utilizes a special phase

contrast objective lens and a phase slider or phase condenser to bring out contrast in
a sample without having to stain the sample. Phase contrast microscopes are used to
look at bacteria or blood cells.
 Polarizing microscope – use both an analyzer and polarizer to cross-polarize the light
and pick up differences in the colors in the optical path of the specimen being

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 Republic of the Philippines
PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

examined. This type of microscope is used to examine chemicals in the

pharmaceutical industry and petrologists and geologists use polarizing microscopes
to examine minerals and thin slices of rocks.
 Metallurgical microscope – is microscope that may have transmitted and reflected
light, or just reflected light. This reflected light shines down through the objective
lens. Metallurgical compound microscopes are specifically used in industrial settings
to view samples at high magnification (such as metals) that will not allow light to
pass through them. Metallurgical microscopes may also utilize darkfield microscopy,
which is a specific technique that back-illuminates a sample in order to highlight
specific features of the sample such as hairline metal fractures or flaws in precious
stones.

 Fluorescence microscopes and DIC (differential interference contrast) are other

types of compound microscopes. These are biological microscopes that use different
light wavelengths to fluoresce a sample in order to study the specimen.

Parts of compound microscope

Parts of compound microscope and their functions

Eyepiece Lens: the lens at the top that you look through, usually 10x or 15x power.

Tube: Connects the eyepiece to the objective lenses.

Arm: Supports the tube and connects it to the base.

Base: The bottom of the microscope, used for support.

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Illuminator: A steady light source (110 volts) used in place of a mirror. If your
microscope has a mirror, it is used to reflect light from an external light source up
through the bottom of the stage.
Stage with Stage Clips: The flat platform where you place your slides. Stage clips hold
the slides in place. If your microscope has a mechanical stage, you will be able to
move the slide around by turning two knobs. One moves it left and right, the other
moves it up and down.

Revolving Nosepiece or Turret: This is the part that holds two or more objective
lenses and can be rotated to easily change power.

Objective Lenses: Usually you will find 3 or 4 objective lenses on a microscope. To

have good resolution at 1000x, you will need a relatively sophisticated microscope
with an Abbe condenser. An Abbe condenser is composed of two lenses that control
the light that passes through the specimen before entering the objective lens on the
microscope. The shortest lens is the lowest power, the longest one is the lens with
the greatest power.

Microscope Rack Stop: This is an adjustment that determines how close the
objective lens can get to the slide

Condenser Lens: The purpose of the condenser lens is to focus the light onto the
specimen.

Diaphragm or Iris: Many microscopes have a rotating disk under the stage. This
diaphragm has different sized holes and is used to vary the intensity and size of the
cone of light that is projected upward into the slide. There is no set rule regarding
which setting to use for a particular power. Rather, the setting is a function of the
transparency of the specimen, the degree of contrast you desire and the particular
objective lens in use.

Tips on how to focus your microscope:

The proper way to focus a microscope is to start with the lowest power objective lens first and
while looking from the side, crank the lens down as close to the specimen as possible without
touching it. Now, look through the eyepiece lens and focus upward only until the image is sharp. If
you can't get it in focus, repeat the process again. Once the image is sharp with the low power lens,
you should be able to simply click in the next power lens and do minor adjustments with the focus
knob. If your microscope has a fine focus adjustment, turning it a bit should be all that's necessary.
Continue with subsequent objective lenses and fine focus each time.

 Simple Magnifying Lens – The simplest light

microscope. It is usually hand held. It magnifies object
and usually useful for field work.

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College of Engineering and Technology

Photo: https://www.education.com/
 Electron Microscope – An electron microscope is one of the most sophisticated types of
microscopes with highest magnification (10,000X – 2,000,000X). Electrons used to
illuminate the smallest particles, which passed through magnetic field onto a
photographic film. When the film is developed magnified images of the particles
appears. There are two types, the Transmission Electron Microscope (TEM), and
Scanning Electron Microscope (SEM). They are useful for bacteria and studies on
Viruses etc.

Photo: https://www.hitachi-hightech.com/global/

 Fluorescence Microscopes – is a special microscope that uses fluorescence and

phosphorescence lights to view samples and determine their properties.

Fluorescence Microscope by Quick Biochemistry Basics

 Digital Microscope – has a digital camera attached to it and connected to a computer

screen to view the object directly. It has the advantages of taking the picture of the
object as well.

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Digital microscope from https://www.indiamart.com/

 Digital Imager Microscope – imager microscope is a type of digital video capturing
microscope you mount on compound microscope, and connect with USB or AV cable to
record the activities of mobile specimens.

https:// www.celestron.com/
products/digital- microscope-imager

Quiz:

1. What would you see using a dark-field microscope on bacteria that transmit light without reflecting it
into the objective lens?
a. Dark bacteria on a bright background.
b. Bright bacteria on a bright background.
c. Bright bacteria on a dark background.
d. Dark bacteria on a dark background.
e. Fluorescent bacteria on a dark background

2. How does ultraviolet light microscopy use fluorescence to make images?

a. Objects absorb invisible ultraviolet light and emit visible light to make images.
b. Objects absorb invisible ultraviolet light and emit nothing.
c. Objects transmit ultraviolet light without absorbing it.
d. Objects scatter all ultraviolet light so it never enters the microscope's objective lenses.
e. Objects fluoresce only when visible light strikes them.

3. If you wish to change an immunofluorescence stain so it stains a different type of microorganism than it
did before, what would you do?
a. Use a different type of microscope.
b. Switch from epifluorescence to transmitted fluorescence.
c. Change the dye from a fluorescent to a non-fluorescent dye.
d. Change to a different type of fluorescent dye.
e. Use a different type of antibody.

4. Scanning electron microscopy is most often used to reveal __________.

a. surface structures
b. internal structures
c. both surface and internal structures simultaneously
d. either surface or internal structures, but not simultaneously

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 Republic of the Philippines
PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

Cont..:

5. If you were given a specimen of an active, motile microorganism, which of the following types of
microscopy would be the most effective in visualizing the live microbe?
a. bright-field microscopy
b. dark-field microscopy
c. fluorescence microscopy
d. phase-contrast microscopy
e. scanning electron microscopy

6. The instrument that produces a bright image of the specimen against a dark background is called a(n)
__________ microscope.
a. phase-contrast
b. transmission electron
c. scanning electron
d. bright-field
e. dark-field

7. A microscope that exposes specimens to ultraviolet and forms an image with the resulting light emitted
at a different wavelength is called a __________ microscope.
a. phase-contrast
b. dark-field
c. scanning electron
d. transmission electron
e. fluorescence

8. Which of the microscopes below form images in visible light?

a. bright-field
b. dark field
c. fluorescence
d. A and B
e. B, and C

9. What do phase-contrast and dark-field microscopes have in common?

a. They increase contrast between the specimens and their surroundings without staining.
b. They make specimens appear bright on a dark background.
c. They make specimens appear dark on a bright background.
d. They make specimens fluoresce.
e. They make specimens visible that refract light away from the objective.

10.Which of the microscopes below is usually good for use on unstained specimens?
a. phase-contrast
b. fluorescence
c. bright-field
d. scanning electron
e. transmission electron

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PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

2. Slides, test tubes, and petri dishes

To examine a specimen, biologists must place a sample — whether the sample is blood,
mucus, saliva, skin cells, or urine — in or on something:

 Slides: If the sample is going to be viewed

under a microscope, some of the cells are
gently smeared onto a glass slide, treated
with a fixative so that the cellular
components don’t move, and covered with a
glass cover slip.

 Test tubes: If the sample needs to be

centrifuged — spun very rapidly to separate
fluid and particles — or needs to have
solutions added to it, then the sample most
likely is placed in a test tube.
 Petri dishes: If a sample must be grown
before it can be identified, the sample must
be cultured. To culture a sample, a petri dish https://images.app.goo.gl/LzJKfRBUWzq63Kn59
containing a culture medium is inoculated, or
smeared and pressed, onto the medium.

3. Dyes and other indicators

 Dyes are agents that color structures of the cell, which allow the structures to be more
easily viewed when using a microscope. In some cases, stains make usually invisible
structures visible. Some common stains include iodine and methylene blue. If iodine is
placed on a sample that contains starch, such as a piece of potato, it will turn the
sample dark blue.

 Indicators are premade solutions or papers that are used to determine chemical
characteristics, such as acidity and composition. Litmus paper is a common example.
When dipped into a solution, litmus paper will turn red if the solution is acidic and blue
if the solution is basic. Strips of pH paper have a range of colors that can be matched up
to estimate the approximate pH of a solution.

4. Forceps, probes, and scalpels

When dissecting animals, or cutting apart in an

orderly fashion, this is to find out more about
structure or to teach the person doing the
dissecting. Scientists already know volumes of
information on the structure of animals, but
dissection not only teaches you structure, it
teaches you technique.

The following equipment is used to perform a

dissection:

https://images.app.goo.gl/QPsLdezBoHG8Zp5F6

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Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

- A scalpel is an extremely sharp bladed instrument that can neatly split open skin and
cut through muscle and organs.
- Forceps are used to hold tissue out of the way or to pick up a structure.
- A probe can be used to remove connective tissue or to lift a structure before it is
dissected.

5. Beakers, flasks, and Bunsen burners

The equipment that is common in a chemistry

laboratory often is seen in a biology laboratory,
too. Biologists also mix solutions and chemicals.

- Beakers are used when the solution mixed in it is

going to be poured into something else. (They
have a lip on them for pouring.)

- Flasks have a narrow neck and are used when

the solution may splash out of a beaker or when
the container of solution needs to be plugged at
some point in the experiment.

- Bunsen burners are heat sources. They are

cylinders attached to a gas line. When the gas line https://images.app.goo.gl/16ZVvc58WSkMac6bA
is opened, a spark ignites a flame in the Bunsen
burner, which is then used to heat solutions.
Sometimes solutions need to be boiled to release
gases or to dissolve a solid into the solution.

Biologists/Scientists who greatly contributed in the field of Biology

Charles Darwin (1809 – 1882)

Authored one of the most famous books in history, On the Origin of Species, in which he
described and provided evidence for the theory of evolution by natural selection.

Rachel Carson
A founder of 20th century environmentalism, her book Silent Spring led to a reappraisal of
the effect of chemicals such as DDT on the environment, leading to bans and heavy
restrictions.

Santiago Ramón y Cajal (1852 – 1934)

Founder of modern neuroscience: proved the neuron doctrine, which says that neurons
behave as biochemically distinct cells rather than a network of interlinked cells.

Marie Curie 1867 – 1934.

Codiscovered the chemical elements radium and polonium; made numerous pioneering
contributions to the study of radioactive elements; carried out the first research into the
treatment of tumors with radiation.

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PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

James BlackJames Black (1924 – 2010)

Revolutionized drug design with beta-blockers for heart disease and histamine antagonists
for stomach ulcers.

Linda Buck
Co-discovered how our sense of smell works: humans have about 350 different types of
odor receptor cell which send signals directly into the brain’s olfactory bulb.

George Washington Carver (c.1860 – 1943)

Improved the agricultural economy of the United States by promoting nitrogen-providing
peanuts as an alternative crop to cotton to prevent soil depletion.

Erwin Chargaff (1905 – 2002)

Chargaff’s rules paved the way to the discovery of DNA’s structure.

Francis Crick (1916 – 2004)

Codiscovered DNA’s structure and replication mechanism; established the Sequence
Hypothesis and the Central Dogma; discovered that DNA uses a triplet code to control the
formation of proteins from amino acids.

John Eccles (1903 – 1997)

Discovered how messages pass between nerve cells in mammals, establishing that both
excitatory and inhibitory processes are chemical in nature, rather than electrical.

Alexander Fleming (1881 – 1955)

Discovered that treating wounds and infections with antiseptic agents caused more deaths
than if no action were taken. Discovered penicillin and predicted the rise of antibiotic
resistant bacteria.

Rosalind Franklin (1920 – 1958)

Provided much of the experimental data used to establish the structure of DNA;
discovered that DNA can exist in two forms.

Jane Goodall (Born 1934)

Ground breaking discoveries in chimpanzee behavior; established that chimpanzees have
similar social behavior to humans and also that they make tools and hunt for meat.

William Harvey (1578 to 1657)

Explained blood circulation for the first time, showing there is a complete circuit beginning
and ending in the heart.

Maurice Hilleman (1919 – 2005)

The most prolific inventor of vaccines in history; developed over forty vaccines; invented
eight of the fourteen vaccines used in routine vaccination schedules today; his vaccines
may account for as many as eight million lives saved every year.

Hippocrates (460 BC – c. 370 BC)

The father of Western medicine: systematized medical treatments, disentangling them
from religion and superstitions; trained physicians; produced a large body of medical
textbooks. The famous Hippocratic Oath binds physicians to good ethical practices.

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College of Engineering and Technology

Robert Hooke (1635 – 1703)

Discovered cells and wrote one of the most significant books in scientific history,
Micrographia, revealing the microscopic world for the first time.
Frances Kelsey (1914 – 2015)
In the early 1960s, thousands of children died or were born malformed because their
mothers took the drug thalidomide during pregnancy. Few ‘thalidomide babies’ were born
in the USA, largely because Frances Kelsey blocked American sales.

Karl Landsteiner (1868 – 1943)

Discovered the human blood group system, paving the way for safe blood transfusions;
discovered the Rh factor in blood; proved polio is an infectious disease spread by a virus;
discovered haptens.

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek (1632 – 1723)

The father of microbiology, he used remarkable self-made lenses to discover single-celled
animals and plants, bacteria, and spermatozoa.

Carolus Linnaeus (1707 – 1778)

Organized our view of the natural world with the two-part naming system we use to
classify all lifeforms; named and classified about 13,000 lifeforms; broke with tradition by
classifying humans in the same way as other lifeforms.

Gregor Mendel (1822 – 1884)

Founded the science of genetics; identified many of the rules of heredity; identified
recessive and dominant traits, and that traits are passed from parents to offspring in a
mathematically predictable way.

Charles Nicolle (1866 – 1936)

Discovered that typhus is carried by lice; showed how epidemics could be prevented.
Discovered inapparent infections.

Florence Nightingale (1820 – 1910)

A health pioneer who transformed nursing into a respected, highly trained profession;
used statistics to analyze wider health outcomes; advocated sanitary reforms largely
credited with adding 20 years to life expectancy between 1871 and 1935.

Louis Pasteur (1822 – 1895)

The father of modern microbiology; transformed chemistry and biology with his discovery
of mirror-image molecules; discovered anaerobic bacteria; established the germ theory of
disease; invented food preservation by pasteurization.

Wilder Penfield (1891 – 1976)

Pioneer of brain surgery who mapped the human brain, showing which parts of it are most
strongly associated with functions such as the different senses, different body movements,
and speech.

Francesco Redi (1626 – 1697)

Devised and performed the first controlled experiments in scientific history; showed that
flies breed and lay eggs and do not spontaneously generate; founded modern
parasitology.

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PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

Theodor Schwann (1810 – 1882)

Established that the cell is the basic unit of all living things; his classification of cells is the
foundation of modern histology; discovered the enzyme pepsin; identified the role
microorganisms play in alcohol fermentation.

Gene Shoemaker (1928 to 1997)

The first astrogeologist and a founder of planetary impact science; proposed microscopic
life could travel between planets on rocks blasted into space by asteroid impacts.

B. F. Skinner (1904 – 1990)

The 20th century’s most influential psychologist; pioneered the science of behaviorism;
discovered the power of positive reinforcement in learning; designed the first
psychological experiments producing quantitatively repeatable results.

Nettie Stevens (1861 – 1912)

Discovered that an organism’s sex is determined by its chromosomes, now known as the
XY sex-determination system – the discovery was the first time a link was demonstrated
between a physical characteristic and chromosome differences.

Susumu Tonegawa (Born 1939)

Discovered how the immune system produces millions of different antibodies to combat
almost any micro-organism. In doing so, he solved the tantalizing long-term puzzle of
antibody diversity.

Harold Urey (1893 – 1981)

Discovered deuterium; showed how isotope ratios in rocks reveal past Earth climates;
founded modern planetary science; the Miller-Urey experiment demonstrated that
electrically sparking simple gases produces amino acids – the building blocks of life.

Rudolf Virchow (1821 – 1902)

A founder of both pathology and social medicine, Virchow correctly identified that
diseases are caused by malfunctioning cells. He named leukemia and was the first to
catalog and name conditions such embolism, thrombosis, chordoma, and ochronosis.

George Wald (1906 – 1997)

Explained the chemistry of the eye after discovering the vitamin A chemical cycle that
allows our eyes to record light. Established the chemistry of color vision and color
blindness.

Selman Waksman (1888 – 1973)

Discovered antibiotics made by soil-dwelling bacteria including streptomycin, the first
effective treatment for tuberculosis; coined the word antibiotic.

Alfred R. Wallace (1823 – 1913)

Independently formulated the theory of evolution by natural selection; was one of the first
biologists to express concern about the effects human activities were having on the
natural world.

Maurice Wilkins (1916 – 2004)

Initiated the experimental research into DNA that culminated in Watson and Crick’s
discovery of its structure in 1953; crystallized DNA and obtained the best quality X-ray
images of DNA seen at that time, indicating DNA molecules were helix shaped.

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 Republic of the Philippines
PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

Sergei Winogradsky (1856 – 1953)

Founded microbial ecology; discovered chemosynthetic life forms which obtain energy
from chemical reactions rather than from sunlight; discovered nitrogen-fixing bacteria in
soil that make nitrates available to green plants.

Carl Woese (1916 – 2004)

Discovered a third basic form of life, the Archaea; redrew the tree of life; revolutionized
biology using genetic analysis, allowing all forms of life to be included in the study of
evolution.

IV.LEARNING ASSESSMENT (100 points)

1. Enumerate the different fields of biology (5 pts).

2. Give (as many as you can) basic equipment used in Biology experiments (except
microscope). Provide their definition, principle, types (if necessary), uses, images. (5 point
each. Maximum 25 points)

3. Explain on your own the different methods in Biology (5 points each. Maximum 20 points)

4. DRAW at least 2 types of microscope, label and provide their specific functions. (10 points
each)

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PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

5. Cite accomplishments of at least 10 biologists/microbiologists (2 points each, maximum 20

points).

6. In your own idea, what is the contribution of Sanitary Engineers in the field of
Microbiology and Parasitology? (Maximum 10 points)

V. References
1. Principles of Biology in Environmental Engineering: Molecular Biology-Based
Identification of Microorganisms, Daniel B. Oerther
2. Introduction to Environmental Microbiology, Pepper et. al., 2014
3. https://basicbiology.net/biology-101/introduction-to-biology#:~:text=Biology%20is
%20the%20study%20of,to%20the%20life%20on%20Earth.
4. https://ocw.mit.edu/courses/physics/
5. http://www.tusculum.edu/faculty/home/ivanlare/html/microbiology/question/q08.html
6. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5j7QTRlDvzg
7. https://microbenotes.com/electron-microscope-principle-types-components-
applications-advantages-limitations/
8. https://www.biologydiscussion.com/cell-biology/techniques-cell-biology/top-16-
techniques-used-in-cell-biology-with-diagram/26521
9. https://thesis.extension.harvard.edu/biology-research-methods#:~:text=Regardless
%20of%20where%20the%20research,%2C%20questionnaires%2C%20interviews%2C
%20etc.
10. https://onlinesciencenotes.com/scope-of-biology/#:~:text=Biology%3A,living
%20organisms%20is%20called%20biology.
11. https://courses.lumenlearning.com/suny-wmopen-biology1/chapter/the-study-of-
biology/
12. https://www.britannica.com/science/biology
13. https://www.microscopeworld.com/p-3470-what-is-a-compound-microscope.aspx
14. https://www.microscopeworld.com/t-parts.aspx
15. https://www.nationalgeographic.org/encyclopedia/microscopes/#:~:text=A
%20microscope%20is%20an%20instrument,larger%20than%20it%20actually%20is.
16. https://nou.edu.ng/sites/default/files/2017-03/BIO204%20Biological%20Techniques.pdf

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PARTIDO STATE UNIVERSITY
Camarines Sur
College of Engineering and Technology

17. http://www.tusculum.edu/faculty/home/ivanlare/html/microbiology/question/q06.html
18. https://www.dummies.com/education/science/biology/basic-equipment-used-in-
biology-experiments/
19. https://www.famousscientists.org/top-biologists/
20. Griffith, W. Thomas (2001). The physics of everyday phenomena : a conceptual
introduction to physics (3rd ed.). Boston: McGraw-Hill. pp. 3–4. ISBN 0-07-232837-1.
21. Wilczek, Frank; Devine, Betsy (2006). Fantastic realities : 49 mind journeys and a trip to
Stockholm. New Jersey: World Scientific. pp. 61–62. ISBN 978-981-256-649-2

Prepared by: Reviewed by: Approved:

ENGR. EMELINA R. PADAYAO PROF. ANA L. VARGAS DR. MORIEL L. PRADO

FACULTY PROGRAM DIRECTOR DEAN

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