What Is Biology?

Biology is the study of life. Alongside physics and chemistry, biology is one of the largest and most important branches of science. At the highest level, biology is broken down based on the type of organism being studied: zoology, the study of animals; botany, of plants; and microbiology, of microorganisms. Each field has contributed to mankind or the Earth’s well-being in numerous ways. Most prominently: botany, to agriculture; zoology, to livestock and protection of ecologies; and microbiology, to the study of disease and ecosystems in general.

Besides classifications based on the category of organism being studied, biology contains many other specialized sub-disciplines, which may focus on just one category of organism or address organisms from different categories. This includes biochemistry, the interface between biology and chemistry; molecular biology, which looks at life on the molecular level; cellular biology, which studies different types of cells and how they work; physiology, which looks at organisms at the level of tissue and organs; ecology, which studies the interactions between organisms themselves; ethology, which studies the behavior of animals, especially complex animals; and genetics, overlapping with molecular biology, which studies the code of life,DNA.

Besides classifications based on the category of organism being studied, biology contains many other specialized sub-disciplines, which may focus on just one category of organism or address organisms from different categories. This includes biochemistry, the interface between biology and chemistry; molecular biology, which looks at life on the molecular level; cellular biology, which studies different types of cells and how they work; physiology, which looks at organisms at the level of tissue and organs; ecology, which studies the interactions between organisms themselves; ethology, which studies the behavior of animals, especially complex animals; and genetics, overlapping with molecular biology, which studies the code of life,DNA.