This is true not only of macroscopic structures such as leaves and stems or hearts and lungs, but also of microscopic intracellular structures and indi ds. The interpla the chemical components of a living organism is dy- namic; changes in one component cause coordinat- ing or compensating changes in another, with the whole ensemble displaying a character beyond that of its individual parts. The collection of molecules carries out a program, the end result of which is reproduction of the program and self-perpetuation of that collection of molecules-in short life A history of evolutionary change. Organisms change their inherited life strategies to survive in new circumstances. The result of eons of evolution is an enormous diversity of life forms fundamentally related through their shared ancestry. Despite these common properties, and the funda mental unity of life they reveal, very few generalizations about living organisms are absolutely correct for every organism under every condition; there is enormous di versity. The range of habitats in which organisms live from hot springs to Arctic tundra, from animal intestines to college dormitories, is matched by a correspondingly wide range of specific biochemical adaptations, achieved FIGURE 1-1 Some characteristics of living matter. (a) Microscopic complexity and organization are apparent in this colorized thin sec- tion of vertebrate muscle tissue. viewed with the electron micros (b)A prairie falcon acquires nutrients by consuming a smaller bird (c) Biological reproduction occurs with near-perfect fidelity A capacity for precise self-replication and self-assembly(Fig. 1-Ic. A single bacterial cell placed in a sterile nutrient medium can give rise a billion identical"daughter"cells in 24 hours Each cell contains thousands of different molecules some extremely complex; yet each bacterium is a faithful copy of the original, its construction directed entirely from information contained FIGURE 1-2 Diverse living organisms share common chemical fea- within the genetic material of the original cell. tures.Birds, beasts, plants, and soil microorganisms share with hu- mans the same basic structural units (cells) and the same kinds of Mechanisms for sensing and responding to macromolecules(DNA, RNA, proteins)made up of the same kinds of alterations in their surroundings, constantly monomeric subunits(nucleotides, amino acids). They utilize the same sting to these changes by adapting their pathways for synthesis of cellular components, share the same genetic internal chemistry. code, and derive from the same evolutionary ancestors. Shown here Defined functions for each of their compo- is a detail from"The Garden of Eden, "by Jan van Kessel the Younger nents and regulated interactions among them. (1626-1679)A capacity for precise self-replication and self-assembly (Fig. 1–1c). A single bacterial cell placed in a sterile nutrient medium can give rise to a billion identical “daughter” cells in 24 hours. Each cell contains thousands of different molecules, some extremely complex; yet each bacterium is a faithful copy of the original, its construction directed entirely from information contained within the genetic material of the original cell. Mechanisms for sensing and responding to alterations in their surroundings, constantly adjusting to these changes by adapting their internal chemistry. Defined functions for each of their compo￾nents and regulated interactions among them. This is true not only of macroscopic structures, such as leaves and stems or hearts and lungs, but also of microscopic intracellular structures and indi￾vidual chemical compounds. The interplay among the chemical components of a living organism is dy￾namic; changes in one component cause coordinat￾ing or compensating changes in another, with the whole ensemble displaying a character beyond that of its individual parts. The collection of molecules carries out a program, the end result of which is reproduction of the program and self-perpetuation of that collection of molecules—in short, life. A history of evolutionary change. Organisms change their inherited life strategies to survive in new circumstances. The result of eons of evolution is an enormous diversity of life forms, superficially very different (Fig. 1–2) but fundamentally related through their shared ancestry. Despite these common properties, and the funda￾mental unity of life they reveal, very few generalizations about living organisms are absolutely correct for every organism under every condition; there is enormous di￾versity. The range of habitats in which organisms live, from hot springs to Arctic tundra, from animal intestines to college dormitories, is matched by a correspondingly wide range of specific biochemical adaptations, achieved 2 Chapter 1 The Foundations of Biochemistry (a) (c) (b) FIGURE 1–1 Some characteristics of living matter. (a) Microscopic complexity and organization are apparent in this colorized thin sec￾tion of vertebrate muscle tissue, viewed with the electron microscope. (b) A prairie falcon acquires nutrients by consuming a smaller bird. (c) Biological reproduction occurs with near-perfect fidelity. FIGURE 1–2 Diverse living organisms share common chemical fea￾tures. Birds, beasts, plants, and soil microorganisms share with hu￾mans the same basic structural units (cells) and the same kinds of macromolecules (DNA, RNA, proteins) made up of the same kinds of monomeric subunits (nucleotides, amino acids). They utilize the same pathways for synthesis of cellular components, share the same genetic code, and derive from the same evolutionary ancestors. Shown here is a detail from “The Garden of Eden,” by Jan van Kessel the Younger (1626–1679). 8885d_c01_002 11/3/03 1:38 PM Page 2 mac76 mac76:385_reb: