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In Fascinating Biology, you will learn the basic principles of biology, including the components of life: cell membranes, taking in nutrients, creating chemical energy, growing and repairing, reproducing, maintaining a stable internal environment, and adapting to a changing external environment. Join Dr. Margulies for a fascinating course as he helps you learn how all living systems are made from atoms and are based in the logic of chemistry.

The course lessons are laid out in a simple, easy to use table format with buttons below each picture for access to the lessons, text scripts, review, review scripts, and tests that correlate with each lesson. Click the buttons in the sample lesson about “The Structure of the Atom” to start.

Fascinating Biology – Course Content

What is Life?

  • Creation of life
  • Recognizing something living

Chemistry Review

  • Chemical bonding
  • Intermolecular bonding
  • Polar and non-polar molecules
  • High-energy molecules
  • Long-chain molecules

The Cell Membrane

  • Chemical structure: phospholipids and glycerol
  • Lipid bilayer

Take in Nutrients

  • Brownian Movement
  • Diffusion
  • The Law of Entropy
  • Concentration gradients
  • Diffusing across cell membranes
  • Movement of water
  • Osmosis
  • Facilitated diffusion
  • Active transport
  • Equilibrium
  • Hypertonic and hypotonic solutions
  • Reverse osmosis
  • Osmotic pressure
  • Pinocytosis

Lesson 5: Take in Energy, Part 1

  • ATP (adenosine triphosphate)
  • Classification of organisms by energy intake
  • Photosynthesis
  • Electron transport chain
  • NADPH
  • Glucose synthesis: The Calvin Cycle

Take in Energy, Part 2

  • Glycolysis
  • The Krebs Cycle
  • Oxidative phosphorylation
  • Mitochondria

Take in Energy, Part 3

  • Energy storage
  • Glycogen
  • Fat
  • Starch

Lesson 8: Take in Energy, Part 4

  • Anerobic metabolism
  • Fermentation
  • Aerobic metabolism
  • Aerobic and anerobic muscles

Grow

  • Proteins
  • DNA
  • Nucleotides
  • RNA synthesis
  • Messenger RNA
  • Ribosomes
  • Transfer RNA
  • Exons and introns

Reproduce, Part 1

  • Chromosomes
  • Cell life cycle
  • Chromatids
  • P53 Protein
  • DNA replication
  • DNA primers
  • Leading and lagging strands
  • Okazaki fragments
  • Telomeres

Reproduce, Part 2

  • Human chromosomes
  • Mitosis
  • Meiosis
  • Synapsis
  • Genetic diversity
  • Asexual reproduction

Reproduce, Part 3

  • Alleles
  • Mutations
  • Dominant and recessive genes
  • Wild-type traits
  • X-linked mutations
  • Barr Body
  • Karyotypes
  • Genotypes and phenotypes
  • Homozygous and heterozygous
  • Pedigrees
  • Punnett squares
  • Hemophilia
  • Codominance
  • Blood types
  • Mitochondrial DNA

Homeostasis, Part 1

  • What to keep constant
  • Temperature
  • Hypothalamus
  • Hypothermia and hyperthermia
  • Antidiuretic hormone

Homeostasis, Part 2

  • Blood pressure
  • Glucose
  • Oxygen
  • Carbon dioxide
  • pH

Adapt, Part 1

  • Theory of Evolution
  • Dinosaurs and birds
  • Hearing
  • Pangea
  • Yanoconodon
  • Aquatic mammals
  • Vestigial structures
  • Dating fossils with carbon dating

Adapt, Part 2

  • The Changing Environment
  • Theory of Natural Selection
  • Sickle Cell Anemia
  • Improving in an Unchanging Environment
  • Countercurrent Circulation
  • Genetic Diversity
  • Genetic Diversity in Prokaryotes
  • Genetic Drift
  • Speciation
  • Symbiosis
  • Predators, Prey, Scavengers

Prokaryotes, Protists, Animals and Fungi

  • Domains
  • Prokaryotes
  • Bacteria and Archae Bacteria
  • Cyanobacteria
  • Eukaryote energy production
  • Protists
  • Animal Phyla
  • Porifera
  • Cnidaria
  • Platyhelminths and Annelids
  • Nematodes and annelids
  • Protosomes and Deuterostomes
  • Molluscs
  • Arthropods
  • Echinoderms and chordates
  • Fungi
  • Lichens, rusts, and mycorrhiza

Plants

  • Algae
  • Charales
  • Bryophytes
  • Spores
  • Gametophytes
  • True plants
  • Tracheophytes
  • Spores
  • Vascular structures
  • Gymnosperms
  • Wood
  • Water transport
  • Roots
  • Angiosperms
  • Endoderm
  • Fruit

If you have questions, please submit the form below or email fascinator@fascinatingeducation.com

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“Fascinating Science is a perfect match for our needs. We have used Chemistry and Biology with two high schoolers and both have caught concepts well. Since everything is jam-packed into 20 lessons (or less), we supplement with projects and other resources to round out a year of science. I really like that every lesson has a quiz. My kids print that and and it becomes their record of online work.”

Michelle A.

Our daughter found the Fascinating Biology interesting and informative. We were very pleased with the product. She was able to work at her speed and level, could review as needed, and found it easy to understand, without being simplistic. We give it “two thumbs up!”. I felt it was a thorough curriculum and was very satisfied.

Daniel P.

“Our son Max just started college.  He excitedly told me the other day that he understands everything his biology professor is talking about because his Fascinating Education biology class was so good! Further, Max is our second son in college.  Our eldest son, Joe, took biology and chemistry in college after using Fascinating Education and ACED all of his lab assignments.  His professors told him he was the most conscientious and attention-to-detail student in their classes.”

Dawn