Biology

Biology is a natural science. Biology is the study of living things and their vital processes.  It studies life and living organisms. It studies the structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy. The subject matter of biology is very broad. It has been traditionally separated in four major categories. Botany deals with the study of plants; Zoology is the study of animal, Morphology is concerned with the structure of organisms and Physiology studies the functions in living systems. 

Biology is the scientific exploration of the world of living organisms. It is an exploration expanded tremendously within the last four decades. Now, Biology is revealing a wealth of knowledge about ourselves and about the millions of other organisms with whom we share this planet Earth. Today, biological research, worldwide, spans an almost infinite spectrum of studies from molecules to landscapes.

Biology is the study of life. Biology is playing a crucial role in our everyday life. Technological Advances in medical sciences, such as recombinant DNA and genomics have made this varied discipline more exciting than ever. We research and teach the processes of life from complete organismal functioning, through to the organization of cells into tissues and organs, and cellular and molecular interactions.

Origin

The word biology is derived from the Greek words bios and logos. Bios means life and logos means study. It is therefore known 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. It is however believed that the Latin form biologi was first used in 1736 in the work “Bibliotheca botanica” by Carl von Linné.    Biology has been studied since ancient times though its modern form can confuse us about it. Study of natural philosophy in the ancient civilizations of Mesopotamia, Egypt, the Indian subcontinent, and China marked the way for the beginning of the study of biology. The origins of modern biology and its approach to the study of nature are, however credited to ancient Greek philosophers. Aristotle contributed most extensively to the development of biology. However,  Formal study of medicine dates back to Hippocrates (ca. 460 BC – ca. 370 BC).

Definitions

Biology has been defined in different ways. It is important to go through and understand these definitions in order to gain a clear idea about the subject. Some of the definitions are mentioned below for reference.

  “The science of life; that branch of knowledge which treats of living matter as distinct from matter which is not living; the study of living tissue. It has to do with the origin, structure, development, function, and distribution of animals and plants.”

  “Biology is the natural science that studies the no-spontaneous transfer of energy and the quasi-stable systems that experience it.”

  “The science of life and of living organisms, including their structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, and distribution. It includes botany and zoology and all their subdivisions.”

  “The science of life or living matter in all its forms andphenomena, especially with reference to origin, grows reproduction, structure, and behavior.”

  “The science that studies living organisms; characteristic life processes and phenomena of living organisms; all the plant and animal life of a particular region.”

Principles of Biology

Among the various topics of biology there are five principles considered to be fundamental in the study of Biology. There are the cell theory, gene theory, evolution, homeostasis, and laws of thermodynamics.

Cell Theory: all living organisms are composed of cells. The cell is the basic unit of life. Every cell proceeds from another cell. The chemical reactions and energy exchanges of an organism take place into the cell. 

Gene Theory: traits are inherited through gene transmission. Genes are located on chromosomes and consist of DNA.

Evolution: Living beings interact with their environment. As the environmental conditions change, the organisms have to adapt to those changes. The evolution refers to the changes that should occur in the organisms so that they adapt to the changes of the environment. Any genetic change in a population that is inherited over several generations. These changes may be small or large, noticeable or not so noticeable.

Homeostasis:  It means remaining stable or remaining the same. It indicates the ability to maintain a constant internal environment in response to environmental changes.

  Thermodynamics: Living organisms consume and transform energy. Energy is constant and energy transformation is not completely efficient.

Sub-disciplines of Biology

Biology is a vast subject and 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 ethic. Biology is consisting of many sub disciplines. These are:

•   Ethology
•   Evolutionary Biology
•   Physiology
•   Genetics
•   Molecular Biology
•   Morphology
•   Systematics
•   Ecology
• 
  

Ethology: Ethology studies animal behavior. It is a scientific and objective study. Ethology is a sub-field of zoology. Ethology focuses on studying animal behavior under natural conditions. It opposes behaviorism’s approach to study animal behavior in a laboratory setting. Many naturalists have studied aspects of animal behavior throughout history. The desire to understand animals has made ethology a rapidly growing field.

Evolutionary Biology: Evolutionary biology emerged as a result of the modern evolutionary synthesis in the 1930s and 1940s. Evolutionary biology is a sub-field of biology. It is concerned with the study of the evolutionary processes that have given rise to the diversity of life on Earth. Someone who studies evolutionary biology is known as an evolutionary biologist. Evolutionary biologists study the descent of species and the origin of new species.

Physiology: Physiology studies how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system.  In simple words physiology is the scientific study of function in living systems. Human physiology is the science of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of humans, their organs, and the cells of which they are composed

Genetics: The branch of biology that deals with heredity, especially the mechanisms of hereditary transmission and the variation of inherited characteristics among similar or related organisms. 

Molecular Biology: Molecular Biology is one of the major branches of biology. It deals with the molecular basis of biological activity. This field overlaps with other areas of biology and chemistry, particularly genetics and biochemistry. Molecular mainly studies the interactions between the various systems of a cell, including the interactions between the different types of DNA, RNA and protein biosynthesis as well as learning how these interactions are regulated.

Morphology: Morphology is a major branch of bioscience concerning with the study of the form and structure of organisms and their specific structural features. Morphology includes the study of outward appearance of organisms like structure, shape, color, pattern etc. Along with the outward appearance of organisms it also studies the form and structure of the internal parts like bones and organs. This is in contrast to physiology, which deals primarily with function. Morphology is a branch of life science dealing with the study of gross structure of an organism or Taxon and its component parts.

Systematics: Systematics is the study of the units of biodiversity.  Systematics differs from ecology. Systematics is concerned with the interactions of individuals and other species in a particular time. Systematics is the study of biological diversity and its origins. It focuses on understanding evolutionary relationships among organisms, species, higher taxa, or other biological entities, such as genes, and the evolution of the properties of taxa including intrinsic traits, ecological interactions, and geographic distributions. An important part of systematics is the development of methods for various aspects of phylogenetic inference and biological nomenclature/classification.

Ecology: Ecology is the study of the distribution and abundance of organisms, the interaction between organisms, the interaction between organisms and their environment, and structure and function of ecosystems. Topics of interest to ecologists include the composition, distribution, amount (biomass), number, and changing states of organisms within and among ecosystems. Ecology is a science that contributes considerably to our understanding of evolution, including our own evolution as a species. All evolutionary change takes place in response to ecological interactions that operate on the population, community, ecosystem, biome and biosphere levels. Studies conducted within the scientific discipline of ecology may therefore focus on one or more different levels: on populations of a single species, on an interacting community involving populations of many species, on the movement of matter and energy through a community within and ecosystem, on large scale processes within a biome, or on global patterns within the biosphere.

Importance of Biology

In simple words Biology is the science of life. It is a study of life. It focuses on do finding out facts about all living things, which are basically categorized into plants and animals. Biological disciplines imply a significant responsibility for the protection and welfare of all living species. The knowledge about the diversity of life forms and their conservation-exploitation is of great importance for our day by day life.

Plants are indispensible for us human beings and other animals. Plans are of great use to us. It is therefore important as well as necessary to us to carrying out studies on them, to find out how to get even more benefits from them. Plants are of use to us for many reasons namely feeding (rice, beans, potatoes, tomatoes etc.), medicine (various kinds of herbs serve the purpose of performing one curative function or the other, in the body, when taken in different forms), shelter (almost all the materials we use in the construction of the houses we live in, come from plants. Wood, for instance, is used in roofing construction and furniture construction) and for other uses like air purification (plants make use of carbondioxide, a substance which humans and other animals produce as by-product of respiration, and this helps in purifying the atmosphere, as this element can be damaging to human health)

The Biology covers the study of all the living beings and their interactions into the biosphere. This it is a very important task because we are able to know the behavior or functioning of each population when it faces to other individuals from other populations or communities and how the populations or the specific sectors of the biosphere are affected and/or benefited by that behavior or functioning of the populations into a community.

Biology is considered as the most important area of study. Biology will continue to be the most important study forever, as it is the area that has revealed facts that have taken us where we are today. It is important to note here that all the success recorded in other fields of study is dependent on the facts revealed by the studies carried out in the field of biology.

Career in Biology

Pursuing a career in biology can be immensely rewarding and exciting. Studying biology teaches us to ask questions, make observations, evaluate evidence, and solve problems. Biologists learn how living things work, how they interact with one another, and how they evolve. They may study cells under a microscope, insects in a rainforest, viruses that affect human beings, plants in a greenhouse, or lions in the African grasslands. Their work increases our understanding about the natural world in which we live and helps us address issues of personal wellbeing and worldwide concern, such as environmental depletion, threats to human health, and maintaining viable and abundant food supplies.

The major job sectors in biology are:

•  Universities and clinical research organizations;
•  Pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies;
•  Private hospitals and NHS trusts;
•  National and global health and environmental charities;
•  Scientific and technical consultancies;
•  Schools and colleges;
•  Outreach organizations such as museums, science centers and broadcast  companies, etc.

The major career paths in biology are:

 Research:  Research is a serious career option for the biology students.  Research biologist studies and research on the natural world. This is done with the help of adequate tools and techniques of modern times. Biology researchers do their research in both outside and inside the laboratory.   

 Environmental Management and Conservation: This is another exciting career option available for biology students.  This job role or career mainly deals with the problems of environment and find ways to solve these problems.  Environment preservation is the need of the hour. Biologists working on this field take all the required steps to protect the environment. They also take part in the conservation of the endangered species, educating public and protecting national park, national resources etc.

 Education: A graduate or a post graduate can opt to work as an educator in schools and colleges or in a University level.  However to work at the university level the student require the highest degree on the subject. At the school level, the fundamentals of biology are taught. Teaching is rewarding career and biology students can choose it from the school level to the university level.  

 Medical Science: Medical science is the most desired option for a biology student after 12th.  The interest in biology is directed related to the medical science and most of the students plan their career to become a doctor. However, some prefer Dentals Science and choose a career in that domain of medical science.

Veterinary Sciences: One more career option available for biology students after 12th is the veterinary sciences.   Veterinary Sciences Veterinary science is a biomedical science, which serves the health interests of farm animals, companion animals, wildlife and humans alike. As such, it deals with the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of animal diseases, the production of safe food and, through the control of diseases transmitted from animals to humans, the health of human beings.

Agricultural Sciences: Agricultural science is great career option for those who are interested in farming or cultivation. It is a broad multidisciplinary field. Agricultural sciences encompasses parts of exact, natural, economic and social sciences that are used in the practice and understanding of agriculture. 

Pharmacy Education:  Pharmacy Education is an exciting option for the biology students. To opt for this career students have to complete a bachelor level dedicated course Bachelor of Pharmacy. Students can go for this specific career after 12th.

Nursing Career: Nursing is good career option for those who are interested in the field. The academic knowledge of Biology is must to go for B.Sc nursing course.

Laboratory Technician: Laboratory Technicians are high in demand. Over 319,000 Medical Technologists and Medical Laboratory Technicians hold jobs in the US today. Since the inception of this career profession in the 1920s, Medical Laboratory Technicians have played a vital role in the diagnosis and prevention of disease. Medical Laboratory Technicians perform less complex tests and laboratory procedures than Medical Technologists.

Physiotherapist: Physiotherapy is a health care profession directed at evaluating, restoring and maintaining physical function. This is a very popular form of treatment and physioherapy is a promising career option now a day. Students need to complete a bachelor level course in physiotherapy in order to get it to this career stream.  

Apart from the above conventional options, there are number of other exciting options available in biology. Students can go for a career in one of the following areas in biology.

•   Career Molecular and Cellular Biology 
•   Career in Physiology
•   Career in Industrial Microbiology and Biotechnology
•   Career in Genetic Counseling
•   Career in Human Genetics
•   Career in Forensic Science
•   Careers in the Genetics Field
•   Career in Health Education
•   Career in the Microbiological Sciences
•   Career in Botany
•   Career in Plant Pathology
•   Source for information on careers in Biology, Conservation, and Oceanography
•   Career in Science and Engineering
•   Careers in Herpetology
•   Careers in Animal Behavior
•   Careers in Entomology
•   Careers in Parasitology
•   Careers in Oceanography, Marine Science & Marine Biology
•   Careers in Botany
•   Careers in Mammalogy 
•   Careers in Marine Mammal Science
•   Careers in Marine Biology & Oceanography
•   Zoo and Aquarium Career
•   Professional Associations