The word biology is derived from the greek words /bios/ meaning /life/ and /logos/ meaning /study/ and is defined as the science of life and living organisms. An organism is a living entity consisting of one cell e.g. bacteria, or several cells e.g. animals, plants and fungi.
Aspects of biological science range from the study of molecular mechanisms in cells, to the classification and behaviour of organisms, how species evolve and interaction between ecosystems.
Biology often overlaps with other sciences; for example, biochemistry and toxicology with biology, chemistry, and medicine; biophysics with biology and physics; stratigraphy with biology and geography; astrobiology with biology and astronomy. Social sciences such as geography, philosophy, psychology and sociology can also interact with biology, for example, in administration of biological resources, developmental biology, biogeography, evolutionary psychology and ethics.
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The hierarchy of biological organization. From ecology to molecular biology, the science of biology studies them all.
Credit: Luka Skywalker | Shutterstock
Biology is the science of life. Biologists study the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution and distribution of living organisms. There are generally considered to be at least nine “umbrella” fields of biology, each of which consists of multiple subfields.
Biochemistry: the study of the material substances that make up living things
Botany: the study of plants, including agriculture
Cellular biology: the study of the basic cellular units of living things
Ecology: the study of how organisms interact with their environment
Evolutionary biology: the study of the origins and changes in the diversity of life over time
Genetics: the study of heredity
Molecular biology: the study of biological molecules
Physiology: the study of the functions of organisms and their parts
Zoology: the study of animals, including animal behavior
Adding to the complexity of this enormous idea is the fact that these fields overlap. It is impossible to study zoology without knowing a great deal about evolution, physiology and ecology. You can’t study cellular biology without knowing biochemistry and molecular biology as well.
Framework of understanding
All the branches of biology can be unified within a framework of five basic understandings about living things. Studying the details of these five ideas provides the endless fascination of biological research:
- See more at: http://www.livescience.com/44549-what-is-biology.html#sthash.drdM4LwG.dpuf
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