Collections: Contents

The Astronomy across time.

Dimensions and distances in Astronomy.

Galaxies and clusters. The Milky Way and the Local Group.

The Stars and the constellations.

The Solar System: the Sun, the planets, the dwarf planets and the SSSBs.

The movements of the Earth and their effects.

The Moon and its phases.

The eclipses.

The Ecosphere.

Matter, quantities, measuring devices and the International System of Units.

Mass, volume, density and temperature.

Pure substances, homogeneous mixtures and heterogeneous mixtures.

Separation of mixtures: sieving, decanting, filtering and distilling.

The particle theory. Atoms, molecules and crystals.

Chemical elements. The Periodic Table. Chemical symbols, atomic number, atomic mass.

Chemical compounds. Molecular formulas and structural representations of molecules.

The properties of solids, liquids and gases explained through the particle theory.

The changes of state explained through the particle theory.

Expansion and contraction by heat explained through the particle theory.

Origin, evolution and composition of the Earth's atmosphere.

Structure of the Earth's atmosphere.

Air pressure.

Weather: types of clouds, cyclones, anticyclones, wind and precipitations.

The water in the Earth: occurrence, water bodies, natural aqueous mixtures vs. distilled water, continental waters vs. marine waters.

The water cycle and its reservoirs.

Seawater movements.

The molecule of water.

The density of water.

Water and life: the roles of water in living beings and the adaptations of living beings with regards to water.

Structure of the Geosphere.

Earth's crust: types and composition.

Minerals: concept, occurrence and properties.

Rocks: rock cycle, main types and uses.

Vital functions.

Bioelements and biomolecules.

Cells: structure, main types, vital functions, discovery; the cellular theory; unicellular and multicellular beings.

Levels of organisation in multicellular beings.

Classification of living beings: morphological criteria vs. kinship; the five kingdoms; taxonomical categories.

Prokaryotes: bacteria: occurrence, diversity (ecology, nutrition), cyanbacteria, how they affect human life.

Protozoa: common features, differences with animals; diversity.

Algae: common features, differences with plants; diversity.

Fungi: common features, differences with plants and animals; diversity; classification; anatomy of mushrooms; common mushrooms.

Common features.

Main morphological types.

Main organs.

Main groups: bryophytes, pterydophytes, gymnosperms and angiosperms.

Nutrition: photosynthesis vs. respiration; role in the carbon cycle.

Basic interaction mechanisms.

Reproduction in angiosperms.

Common features.

Nutrition: type, systems of organs involved, role in the carbon cycle.

Basic interaction mechanisms.

Kinds of reproduction: asexual and sexual.

Main groups of invertebrates: sponges, cnidarians, annelids, molluscs, arthropods and equinoderms.

Main groups of vertebrates: fishes, amphibians, reptiles, birds and mammals.

Forces: concept and measurement.

Effects of forces: deformations and changes in movement. Driving force and force of friction.

The gravitational force; mass vs. weight.

Changes of position. Speed and distance/time graphs. Acceleration and speed/time graphs.

Concepts of work and energy.

Types of material systems with regards to the exchanges of energy and matter.

Forms of energy: kinetic, gravitational potential, elastic potential, chemical, electric, nuclear, heat, light.

Transfers and transformations of energy.

Changes caused by transfers of energy; reversible and irreversible changes.

Energy in human societies: foods, fossil fuels, nuclear, biomass, aeolian, hydraulic, solar.

Types of power plants.

Temperature vs. heat.

Measuring temperature.

Transmission of heat by conduction; conductors vs. insulators.

Transmission of heat by convection; convection in the troposphere; convection in the asthenosphere.

Transmission of heat by radiation.

Light is the transmission of EM waves.

Transmission of light: speed and pathway.

Behaviour of materials with regards to light: transparent, translucent and opaque.

Reflection and refraction of light.

Sound is the transmission of mechanical waves.

The properties of sound: loudness and pitch.

Measuring sound.

The transmission of sound: speed, reflections.

Physical changes vs. chemical changes.

Chemical equations. Reactants vs. products.

Conservation of mass in chemical reactions: the law of constant proportions; balancing chemical equations.

Energy changes during chemical reactions.

Simple chemical reactions: metals with non-metals, oxidation, combustion, formation of acids, formation of salts.

Structure and function of the main organic and inorganic biomolecules.

Main types of cells; organelles and cellular regions.

Cellular nutrition. Anabolism and catabolism. Autotrophic and heterotrophic nutrition. Photosynthesis and respiration.

Cellular interaction: examples from the five kingdoms.

Cellular reproduction: main general types.

The vital functions under the scope of the process of natural selection.

The role of nutrition in the living beings.

Types of nutrition in living beings: heterotrophs vs. autotrophs; phototrophs vs. chemotrophs.

Animal nutrition (I): the digestive process.

Animal nutrition (II): the digestive systems.

Animal nutrition (III): the respiratory mechanisms.

Animal nutrition (IV): the circulatory systems.

Animal nutrition (V): the excretory systems.

Nutrition in fungi.

Nutrition in plants and algae.

The role of interaction in the living beings.

Interaction in animals (I): stimuli and receptors.

Interaction in animals (II): the need of a coordination process; the nervous systems.

Interaction in animals (III): effectors.

Interaction in plants: tropisms and nastics.

The role of reproduction in the living beings.

Types of reproduction.

Asexual reproduction in animals. Examples.

Sexual reproduction in animals. Embryonic development.

Asexual reproduction in plants. Examples.

Sexual reproduction in plants. The flower.

Why is there Life on Earth.

Biomes: concept, main types on Earth.

Ecosystems: concept and components.

Habitats and ecological niches.

Land ecosystems: main types and features. The formation of soil.

Aquatic ecosystems: main types and features.

Anthropogenic ecosystems: main types and features.

Feeding interactions: producers, consumers and decomposers; food chains and food webs; trophic pyramids.

Other biotic interactions: interspecific and intraspecific.

Major human influences in the ecosystems.

Levels of organisation in living beings: overview.

Bioelements.

Biomolecules: organic and inorganic; main types; their role in the human being.

Cells: unicellular and multicellular beings; eukaryotic and prokaryotic cells and organisms; components (and their functions) of prokaryotic, plant and animal cells.

Overview of the cell activity: nutrition, interaction and reproduction.

Supracellular levels of organisation: thalluses, tissues, organs, systems of organs, apparatuses.

The meaning of nutrition in living beings: nutrition as an exchange of matter and energy. Humans as heterotrophs.

Overview of the nutrition in humans; organ systems involved (digestive system, respiratory system, circulatory system and excretory system).

The digestive system anatomy: alimentary canal and accessory glands.

Stages of the digestive system work: ingestion, digestion (types, stages, enzymes), absorption and elimination.

Ventilation and respiration as contributing processes to human nutrition.

The respiratory system anatomy: respiratory pathways, lungs, ribcage.

The respiratory system physiology: breathing movements, gas exchange, breathing rhythm control.

Components of the blood: plasma and blood cells (types and functions).

The cardiovascular system: blood vessels (types and roles); the heart (structure and function); cardiovascular circuits.

Overview of the lymphatic system.

The urinary system: its role in homeostasis and waste disposal; structure and function of the kidney; structure and function of the nephrons; composition of the urine as compared to the blood.

The sweat glands: their role in homeostasis and waste disposal; composition of the sweat as compared to the blood.

Types of nutrients.

Types of foods.

Balanced diets; basal metabolic rates.

Specific diets: for weight management, for sports, for longevity.

Food conservation, manipulation and marketing.

Food production enhancement methods and their consequences: fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides, intensive farming, GM foods.

The meaning of interaction and coordination in multicellular beings.

Interaction and coordination in humans: stages involved (from stimuli to receptors); organ systems involved (receptors, nervous system, endocrine system and motor apparatus).

Receptors: internal and external; types according to the stimuli detected, how the eye works; how the ear works; the skin as a receptor.

The nervous tissue: neurones (and their structure) and glial cells, nerves, nerve impulse, synapse, neurotransmitters.

The nervous system: structure, main organs (and their functions), types of nerves, types of nervous circuits.

The endocrine system: endocrine glands, hormones (main kinds and their effects), target organs and target cells, stages and types of endocrine coordination, endocrine glands as effectors.

Homeostasis: how the human body controls the internal temperature and the levels of fluids and metabolites.

The motor apparatus: main muscles and bones; the muscles as effectors.

Overall view of the process of reproduction in humans. Key concepts: gonads, gametes, fertilisation, zygote, embryo, fetus, pregnancy, childbirth.

Sexual characteristics: primary and secondary. Puberty.

Structure of the male and female reproductive systems.

Features of the male and female gametes.

The menstrual cycle.

The reproductive process: fertilisation, implantation, fetal development and childbirth.

Hormonal control of the reproduction related activity (gametogenesis, menstrual cycle and nursing).

Contraception.

Assisted reproduction.

Concepts of health and disease.

General types of diseases: infectious, hereditary, nutritional, chronic, terminal…

Microbial diseases.

Infectious diseases occurrence: epidemics and pandemics.

Fighting infectious diseases: the immune system, vaccination, antibiotics.

Malnutrition, eating disorders and digestive system related diseases.

Respiratory system related diseases.

Circulatory system related diseases.

Good habits to keep a healthy heart.

Urinary system related diseases.

Degenerative nervous diseases.

Drug addictions.

Alcohol, tobacco and caffeine.

Sensory organs related diseases.

Endocrine system related diseases.

Sexually transmitted diseases.

Cancer.

Organic matter vs. inorganic matter. Geochemical elements.

Crystalline matter vs. amorphous matter. Crystals vs. glasses. Minerals vs. mineraloids.

Physical properties of the minerals: crystal structure, growth habit, density, hardness, tenacity, cleavage, lustre, colour, streak, others.

Classification of the minerals. Some important minerals and their physical properties.

Obtaining minerals. Beds and mines.

Uses of the minerals. Main metallic ores. Main gemstones.

Concept of rock and how it relates to the concept of mineral.

Basic properties of the rocks: structure, mineral composition and age.

Sedimentary rocks: formation process, occurrence, strata, major types and main examples.

The formation of coal and petroleum.

Igneous rocks: formation process and its determining factors, occurrence, major types and main examples.

Metamorphic rocks: formation process and its determining factors, occurrence, major types and main examples.

The rock cycle.

Rocks as resources for human societies.

Major lithological units in Spain.

The biological meaning of the cellular nutrition, reproduction and interaction.

Cellular nutrition (I): membrane transport of substances.

Cellular nutrition (II): enzymes.

Cellular nutrition (III): the metabolism; anabolism and catabolism in autotrophic and heterotrophic beings.

Cellular reproduction (I): the cell nucleus: DNA, chromatin, chromosomes; haploid and diploid cells.

Cellular reproduction (II): the cell cycle.

Cellular reproduction (III): cancer.

Cellular reproduction (IV): the stages of mitosis; its meaning and role in eukaryotic cells.

Cellular reproduction (V): meiosis: main events; its meaning and role in eukaryotes' gametogenesis.

Cellular interaction: biological meaning and examples in prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.

Mendelian inheritance. Dominance, codominance and incomplete dominance.

The Chromosomal Theory of Inheritance. Chromosomes, loci and alleles.

The inheritance of sex. Heredity linked to sex; some common diseases.

Polygenic and polyallelic inheritance.

Mutations. Causes, types and results.

The Human Genome Project: benefits and concerns.

Genetic testing: basic techniques, benefits and concerns.

Genetic manipulation. Basic techniques. Most significant current applications (GM food, gene therapy): benefits and concerns.

Cloning. Nuclear transfer. Benefits and concerns.

Stem cells: basic techniques, benefits and concerns.

Ideas on the origin and transmutation of species across time. The advent of the evolutionary thought (common descent and transmutation of species).

Signs of evolution: adaptive radiation, adaptive convergence, fossil series, geographical distribution of fossils, biochemical similarities.

Lamarck's mechanism of evolutionary change.

Darwin and Wallace's mechanism of evolutionary change: evolution by natural selection driven by the environment.

Genetics and evolution: mutation, recombination, natural selection of alleles and genetic drift.

Evolution by natural selection in action: some examples.

Main outcomes of the evolution by natural selection: adaptation, extinction, coevolution and speciation.

Fossils: types, occurrence, significance.

Historical ideas on the age of the Earth. Principles and procedures that enable to reconstruct the History of the Earth. Relative and absolute dating techniques.

The geologic time. Main geochronologic units.

Main geological and biological events along the history of the Earth.

The evolution of the human lineage.

Plant nutrition: absorption and transport of nutrients, transpiration, photosynthesis, respiration.

Plant reproduction: the flower, pollination, fertilization, seed dispersal, germination.

Plant interaction: plant hormones and growth.

Ecosystems: concept, components. The Ecosphere.

Ecological factors; conditions and resources. Limiting factors. Tolerance curves. Ecological niche. Habitat.

Ecological factors in land ecosystems.

Ecological factors in aquatic ecosystems.

Ecological succession.

Biotic interactions: intraspecific and interspecific interactions.

Population growth. Positive and negative feedback in the interspecific interactions. Plagues and their control.

Feeding interactions: flow of energy and matter in the ecosystems; producers, consumers and decomposers; food chains and food webs; trophic pyramids.

Biogeochemical cycles.

Atmospheric pollution: the greenhouse effect and the global warming; the slimming of the ozone layer; acid precipitations.

Water consumption: water treatment and sewage treatment.

Water pollution: fertilisers, industrial pollutants, thermal pollution.

Other major human influences in the ecosystems.

The internal heat of the Earth as the cause behind the internal geomorphological changes.

Basic internal geomorphological processes: volcanism and seismicity: elements and main features.

The Continental Drift theory.

The tectonic plates: concept, movement, types and main plates.

Divergent tectonic boundaries: causes, occurrence, examples and geological features.

Convergent tectonic boundaries: types, causes, occurrence, examples and geological features.

Transform tectonic boundaries: causes, occurrence, examples and geological features.

Igneous rocks.

Metamorphic rocks.

Geological risks related to the internal activity of the Earth: risk areas; preventing and measuring earthquakes.

The external geomorphological changes vs. the internal geomorphological changes: paces and examples.

The Sun and the gravity as the causes behind the external geomorphological agents. The water cycle as an example.

The external geomorphological processes: weathering, erosion, transport and sedimentation.

Chemical weathering.

Geomorphological action of the changes of temperature. Freeze-thaw weathering.

Geomorphological action of the wind. Occurrence, aeolian landscapes.

Geomorphological action of the superficial continental waters. Types of superficial continental bodies. The geomorphological processes in the sections of a river. Glacial vs. fluvial landscapes.

Geomorphological action of the subterranean continental waters. Karstic landscapes.

Geomorphological action of the sea. Seawater movements. Landscapes carved by the sea movements.

The formation of soils.

The formation of sedimentary rocks. Strata.

Fossilisation.