Biology: The Study of Living Things
Biology is the science of life — how organisms are built, how they work, and how they change over time. The name simply joins the Greek words for life and study.
Biology studies living organisms: their structure, function, growth, distribution and evolution. It is a young name for an old pursuit. Naturalists had been describing plants and animals for centuries before anyone thought to give the whole enterprise a single title.
- The science of living things. *She teaches biology.*
- The living processes of an organism. *The biology of the immune system.*
- Physical nature, used loosely. *Blame it on biology.*
Word forms
| Form | Word | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Noun | biology | A degree in biology. |
| Adjective | biological | Biological processes. |
| Adverb | biologically | Biologically identical. |
| Person | biologist | A marine biologist. |
| Prefix | bio- | Biosphere, biopsy, biography. |
How it is used in a sentence
- Biology is a compulsory subject until year eleven.Singular verb — the name of a field.
- The two are biologically related.Adverb form, common in family and legal contexts.
- Molecular biology transformed the field in the 1950s.One of many named branches.
Branches you meet early
- Botany — plants
- Zoology — animals
- Microbiology — organisms too small to see
- Genetics — inheritance and variation
- Ecology — organisms in relation to each other and their surroundings
From Greek *bios*, life, and *logia*, study. The term appeared in German and French around 1800 and reached English soon after. The same *bios* gives biography, a life written down, and antibiotic, something working against life.
Biology or life science?
Life sciences is the broader umbrella, covering biology along with medicine, biochemistry and related fields.
Is biological always about biology?
No. A biological parent means the genetic one, and biological washing powder refers to enzymes rather than to the science.