Objective 5  Fundamental concepts of molecular and cellular biology

A short list of these concepts would include at least the following:

1) cellular processes are based on physical and chemical change

2) water is essential to life and serves as the solvent for most of the chemical reactions in cells

3) carbon based molecules are the basis for the molecular diversity observed in cells

4) cell division processes (e.g., binary fission, mitosis, meiosis) are important in generating new populations of cells and in the development of multicellularity and sexual reproduction

5) energy transfers, such as occur in the processes of cellular respiration and photosynthesis, play a key role in the growth, development, and survival of cells

6) DNA replication, RNA transcription, and protein synthesis (translation) are key processes for cell function; the regulation of these processes is important for both cell function and differentiation