Flashcard-style notes for the ATI TEAS 7 Science section. Anatomy and physiology is the largest block, so prioritize the body-system cards. Original Aspire material - updated July 2026.
| Term | Question | Answer |
|---|---|---|
| Cell membrane | What does the cell membrane do? | Controls what enters and leaves the cell. Selectively permeable and present in ALL cells. |
| Nucleus | What does the nucleus do? | Stores DNA and directs cell activities. Prokaryotes such as bacteria have no nucleus. |
| Mitochondria | What do mitochondria do? | Produce ATP through cellular respiration - the cell's energy currency. |
| Ribosome | What do ribosomes do? | Build proteins by assembling amino acids. Found in all cells, including bacteria. |
| Golgi apparatus | What does the Golgi apparatus do? | Modifies, packages and ships proteins - the cell's post office. |
| Lysosome | What does a lysosome do? | Digests waste, worn-out organelles and invading particles using enzymes. |
| Prokaryote vs eukaryote | What is the key difference? | Prokaryotes have no nucleus and no membrane-bound organelles. Eukaryotes have both. Both have a membrane, cytoplasm, ribosomes and DNA. |
| Cellular respiration | What is the equation for cellular respiration? | Glucose + oxygen produces ATP + carbon dioxide + water, mainly in the mitochondria. |
| Diffusion | What is diffusion? | Movement of particles from high to low concentration. Passive - no energy required. |
| Osmosis | What is osmosis? | Diffusion of water across a semipermeable membrane, from low solute to high solute concentration. |
| Active transport | What is active transport? | Movement from low to high concentration, against the gradient, requiring ATP. |
| Tonicity | What happens in hypertonic and hypotonic solutions? | Hypertonic: water leaves and the cell shrivels. Hypotonic: water enters and it swells. Isotonic: no net change. |
| DNA base pairing | How do DNA bases pair? | Adenine with thymine, guanine with cytosine. In RNA, uracil replaces thymine. |
| DNA vs RNA | What are the differences? | DNA is double-stranded with thymine and deoxyribose. RNA is single-stranded with uracil and ribose. |
| Transcription | What is transcription? | Copying DNA into messenger RNA inside the nucleus. |
| Translation | What is translation? | Building a protein from mRNA at the ribosome, with tRNA delivering amino acids. |
| Genotype vs phenotype | What is the difference? | Genotype is the alleles carried (Tt). Phenotype is the trait shown (tall). |
| Punnett square | What does Tt x Tt produce? | A 3:1 ratio - three dominant to one recessive. Tt x tt gives 1:1. |
| Heterozygous | What does heterozygous mean? | Two different alleles, such as Tt. Homozygous means two identical alleles, TT or tt. |
| Heart blood flow | How does blood flow through the heart? | Body to right atrium, right ventricle, lungs, left atrium, left ventricle, out to the body. The left ventricle is most muscular. |
| Arteries and veins | What is the difference? | Arteries carry blood away from the heart, veins carry it back. Exceptions: the pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood, the pulmonary vein oxygenated. |
| Alveoli | Where does gas exchange occur? | In the alveoli of the lungs - oxygen enters the blood, carbon dioxide leaves. |
| Breathing control | What controls breathing rate? | The medulla oblongata in the brainstem, responding mainly to carbon dioxide levels. The diaphragm performs the movement but does not regulate it. |
| Digestion | Where does most nutrient absorption occur? | The small intestine, whose villi provide a large surface area. The large intestine mainly absorbs water. |
| Stomach | What makes the stomach distinctive? | It is the most acidic part of the digestive tract, pH roughly 1.5 to 3.5, and begins protein digestion. |
| Kidneys | What do the kidneys do? | Filter blood, remove urea and excess water as urine, and regulate fluid and electrolyte balance. |
| Neuron | Which parts of a neuron do what? | Dendrites receive signals, the cell body integrates them, the axon carries the impulse away. |
| Insulin and glucagon | What do these hormones do? | Insulin lowers blood glucose by moving it into cells. Glucagon raises it. Both come from the pancreas. |
| Tendon vs ligament | What is the difference? | A tendon attaches muscle to bone. A ligament attaches bone to bone. |
| Skin | What is notable about the integumentary system? | Skin is the largest organ. Melanin blocks UV radiation, and UV exposure triggers vitamin D synthesis. |
| Immunity | Innate versus adaptive immunity? | Innate is fast, general and present from birth. Adaptive is slower, specific, and builds memory after exposure. |
| Atomic number | What does the atomic number tell you? | The number of protons. In a neutral atom it also equals the number of electrons. |
| Mass number | What is the mass number? | Protons plus neutrons. Isotopes differ in neutron count. |
| Ions | What are cations and anions? | A cation is positive, formed by losing electrons (metals). An anion is negative, formed by gaining electrons (nonmetals). |
| Ionic bond | What is an ionic bond? | Electrons are transferred from a metal to a nonmetal, creating oppositely charged ions. |
| Covalent bond | What is a covalent bond? | Atoms share electrons, typically between two nonmetals. |
| pH scale | How does the pH scale work? | 0 to 14. Below 7 acidic, 7 neutral, above 7 basic. Logarithmic - each unit is a tenfold change. |
| Physical vs chemical change | How do you tell them apart? | A physical change keeps the same substance (melting, dissolving). A chemical change creates a new one (rusting, burning). |
| Reaction rate | What speeds up a reaction? | Higher temperature, higher concentration, greater surface area, or a catalyst. |
| Independent variable | What is the independent variable? | The factor deliberately changed by the experimenter. The dependent variable is what is measured in response. |
| Control group | What is a control group? | The untreated group used for comparison, so any difference can be attributed to the treatment. |
| Correlation | Why does correlation not prove causation? | Two things can move together by coincidence or because of a third factor. Only a controlled experiment supports a causal claim. |
How to use these notes
- Cover the Answer column and say it from memory before checking - retrieval beats re-reading.
- Mark what you miss and revisit only those cards the next day.
- Once the terms feel solid, switch to timed practice questions.
Next step: test yourself with the TEAS Science practice tests, then re-review any body system you missed twice.