1st Principles

Subject

Biology

Life at scales from molecules to ecosystems. Chapters will group physiology, evolution, and ecology as the catalog grows.

102 sub-topics · use search below on large subjects

Topics

Foundations

Orientation and shared vocabulary for this subject.

  • Biology: foundationsScience · 18 min

    Biology studies living systems, how they reproduce, and how they interact with their environment. This lesson orients you to cell before deeper chapters.

In practice

How practitioners apply core ideas in real settings.

  • Biology: in practiceScience · 16 min

    Biologists compare models to observations and revise when predictions fail. This lesson focuses on how practitioners use hypothesis and test in real work.

Application

Constraints in real jobs (Science)

Constraints in real jobs as it applies to Biology.

Cost and benefit (Science)

Cost and benefit as it applies to Biology.

Failure modes (Science)

Failure modes as it applies to Biology.

Implementation steps (Science)

Implementation steps as it applies to Biology.

Maintenance over time (Science)

Maintenance over time as it applies to Biology.

Problem framing (Science)

Problem framing as it applies to Biology.

Risk (Science)

Risk as it applies to Biology.

Scaling up (Science)

Scaling up as it applies to Biology.

Stakeholders (Science)

Stakeholders as it applies to Biology.

Trade-offs (Science)

Trade-offs as it applies to Biology.

Communication

Cross-disciplinary talk (Science)

Cross-disciplinary talk as it applies to Biology.

Explaining to beginners (Science)

Explaining to beginners as it applies to Biology.

Media coverage (Science)

Media coverage as it applies to Biology.

Open questions (Science)

Open questions as it applies to Biology.

Policy briefs (Science)

Policy briefs as it applies to Biology.

Presentations (Science)

Presentations as it applies to Biology.

Public controversy (Science)

Public controversy as it applies to Biology.

Teaching others (Science)

Teaching others as it applies to Biology.

Visuals that teach (Science)

Visuals that teach as it applies to Biology.

Writing clear summaries (Science)

Writing clear summaries as it applies to Biology.

Comparison

Analogies from other fields (Science)

Analogies from other fields as it applies to Biology.

Common confusions (Science)

Common confusions as it applies to Biology.

Competing models (Science)

Competing models as it applies to Biology.

Consensus areas (Science)

Consensus areas as it applies to Biology.

Debates that matter (Science)

Debates that matter as it applies to Biology.

Historical shifts (Science)

Historical shifts as it applies to Biology.

Interdisciplinary links (Science)

Interdisciplinary links as it applies to Biology.

Regional differences (Science)

Regional differences as it applies to Biology.

Schools of thought (Science)

Schools of thought as it applies to Biology.

Translation of terms (Science)

Translation of terms as it applies to Biology.

Context

Climate and environment (Science)

Climate and environment as it applies to Biology.

Demographics (Science)

Demographics as it applies to Biology.

Equity and access (Science)

Equity and access as it applies to Biology.

Funding (Science)

Funding as it applies to Biology.

Future scenarios (Science)

Future scenarios as it applies to Biology.

Global trends (Science)

Global trends as it applies to Biology.

Institutions (Science)

Institutions as it applies to Biology.

Regulation (Science)

Regulation as it applies to Biology.

Social impact (Science)

Social impact as it applies to Biology.

Technology change (Science)

Technology change as it applies to Biology.

Core ideas

Abstraction levels (Science)

Abstraction levels as it applies to Biology.

Cause and correlation (Science)

Cause and correlation as it applies to Biology.

Central definitions (Science)

Central definitions as it applies to Biology.

Equilibrium and change (Science)

Equilibrium and change as it applies to Biology.

Feedback loops (Science)

Feedback loops as it applies to Biology.

Laws, rules, or patterns (Science)

Laws, rules, or patterns as it applies to Biology.

Models and diagrams (Science)

Models and diagrams as it applies to Biology.

Scale: micro to macro (Science)

Scale: micro to macro as it applies to Biology.

Systems and parts (Science)

Systems and parts as it applies to Biology.

Units and measurement (Science)

Units and measurement as it applies to Biology.

Deep dives

Advanced preview (Science)

Advanced preview as it applies to Biology.

Capstone directions (Science)

Capstone directions as it applies to Biology.

Classic papers or texts (Science)

Classic papers or texts as it applies to Biology.

Edge cases (Science)

Edge cases as it applies to Biology.

Landmark discoveries (Science)

Landmark discoveries as it applies to Biology.

Minority reports (Science)

Minority reports as it applies to Biology.

Open research fronts (Science)

Open research fronts as it applies to Biology.

Paradigm shifts (Science)

Paradigm shifts as it applies to Biology.

Synthesis projects (Science)

Synthesis projects as it applies to Biology.

Where to go next (Science)

Where to go next as it applies to Biology.

Evidence

Anomalies (Science)

Anomalies as it applies to Biology.

Bias and blind spots (Science)

Bias and blind spots as it applies to Biology.

Case studies (Science)

Case studies as it applies to Biology.

Conflicting studies (Science)

Conflicting studies as it applies to Biology.

Data tables and charts (Science)

Data tables and charts as it applies to Biology.

Primary sources (Science)

Primary sources as it applies to Biology.

Secondary summaries (Science)

Secondary summaries as it applies to Biology.

Strong versus weak claims (Science)

Strong versus weak claims as it applies to Biology.

Triangulation (Science)

Triangulation as it applies to Biology.

Uncertainty language (Science)

Uncertainty language as it applies to Biology.

Methods

Documentation (Science)

Documentation as it applies to Biology.

Estimation and error (Science)

Estimation and error as it applies to Biology.

Ethics in method (Science)

Ethics in method as it applies to Biology.

Experiments and controls (Science)

Experiments and controls as it applies to Biology.

Observation protocols (Science)

Observation protocols as it applies to Biology.

Peer review (Science)

Peer review as it applies to Biology.

Replication (Science)

Replication as it applies to Biology.

Reproducible workflows (Science)

Reproducible workflows as it applies to Biology.

Simulation and models (Science)

Simulation and models as it applies to Biology.

Surveys and samples (Science)

Surveys and samples as it applies to Biology.

Orientation

Careers and roles (Science)

Careers and roles as it applies to Biology.

Everyday examples (Science)

Everyday examples as it applies to Biology.

History in one glance (Science)

History in one glance as it applies to Biology.

How claims get checked (Science)

How claims get checked as it applies to Biology.

Jargon worth learning first (Science)

Jargon worth learning first as it applies to Biology.

Objects you study (Science)

Objects you study as it applies to Biology.

Reading habits that stick (Science)

Reading habits that stick as it applies to Biology.

Tools practitioners use (Science)

Tools practitioners use as it applies to Biology.

What questions the field asks (Science)

What questions the field asks as it applies to Biology.

What the field is not (Science)

What the field is not as it applies to Biology.

Skills

Checklists (Science)

Checklists as it applies to Biology.

Collaboration norms (Science)

Collaboration norms as it applies to Biology.

Debugging mistakes (Science)

Debugging mistakes as it applies to Biology.

Hands-on practice (Science)

Hands-on practice as it applies to Biology.

Mentorship (Science)

Mentorship as it applies to Biology.

Pattern recognition (Science)

Pattern recognition as it applies to Biology.

Portfolio pieces (Science)

Portfolio pieces as it applies to Biology.

Self-assessment (Science)

Self-assessment as it applies to Biology.

Speed versus accuracy (Science)

Speed versus accuracy as it applies to Biology.

Tooling basics (Science)

Tooling basics as it applies to Biology.