From the very beginning of our existence, we constantly see manifestations of life around us. Little children learn to walk and talk, calling various animals, insects, watching them in nature. Getting older, each child begins to understand that around him is a huge and very rich world of living beings. After all, plants, animals, insects, and fungi are all living things. Knowing this wonderful world, we become wiser, more mature and learn to be responsible.
Even later, when the children go to school, they learn that biology is a science that studies all these organisms, their life, the interaction between themselves and with the environment. And also this science studies the influence that man and wildlife have on each other.
Etymology of the word "biology"
Interestingly, the term "biology" is rooted in the ancient Indo-Jewish peoples, whose word "leg" meant "to collect", "to pick up." Later, having undergone many transformations, the term acquired a sound closer to the real one. The ancient Greeks used the word "bios", which meant "life", and the word "logos", translated as "teaching." Combining the two concepts, it’s easy to get a practical definition of the term “biology”. This is a science that studies life, in general and superficially. In fact, the concept is very large-scale, and science itself is extremely exciting.
What is biology and what does it study?
Our entire planet consists of several shells. One of them is the biosphere. In turn, the biosphere consists of biomass, and the biomass is represented by the totality of living things on the planet, regardless of size and habitat. So, it is biomass that is the object of study of biology. But since it is extremely diverse in the number of individuals, in the ways of their interaction with each other, and in other ways, it became necessary to divide biology into departments. And over time, they grew into entire independent sciences.
What sciences does biology study? Let's try to figure it out. There are several main ones, and all of them are of great importance in people's lives. Biology covers all aspects of life of living beings, both external and internal. Therefore, there are so many sciences that have spun off from it.
Molecular biology
This is a science that studies the most important processes of protein synthesis, the mechanisms of storage and transmission of hereditary information, the genetic code and its structure. The objects of study of molecular biology are all living systems in which protein and nucleic acids (DNA and RNA) are stored. Such systems include prokaryotes, eukaryotes, and viruses.
The current state of molecular biology is at the level of intensive development. Already received a lot of information about the structure of protein molecules, their properties and functions performed in biomass. The processes of transcription and translation, replication of the DNA molecule are deciphered, the genetic code is decrypted. But on this modern molecular biology does not even think to stop. Indeed, as it turned out, the protein diversity is so great that it is enough for a thorough analysis and laboratory study for many years to come.
Microbiology
He is engaged in the study of the smallest living systems that are not visible to the naked eye (bacteria, viruses, micro-fungi, microalgae, archaea). Thanks to the achievements and labors of many great scientists, this science has managed to step far forward.
Today, bacterial culture on special solid nutrient media is not unique. To get a pure culture of bacteria means to gain access to manage them. Naturally, this is of great importance for medicine and pharmaceuticals. This is a chance to find a way to get rid of harmful microorganisms.
That is why microbiological research products are so popular in:
- medicine;
- agriculture;
- Food Industry;
- oil and gas processing;
- metallurgy industry.
Biotechnology
Young science, which gave rise to even more young and progressive - genetic and cellular engineering. It studies and develops methods of cultivating pure crops, as well as the creation of in viva and in vitro technologies that allow the use of bacteria as human sources of energy, food, helpers in agriculture and other industrial sectors.
This science is closely interconnected with microbiology, they are almost related. Therefore, the results of the work of biotechnologists are important aspects that are taken into account in the production of medicines and various agricultural preparations. In addition, biotechnology provides an answer to questions regarding the resistance of plants to parasites and environmental conditions.
Genetic and cellular engineering, in turn, also make it clear what biology is studying as a science. They are also based on living systems, but their task is already specifically practical focus on the result, obviously useful to humans.
The methods of incorporating extraneous genes into the cell that carry information pre-planned by the engineers allow us to obtain the necessary products of higher quality and in much larger quantities (for example, if we are talking about plants, genetic engineering developments allow us to get two or three crops per season).
Genetics
An extensive and extremely important section of biological science that studies the mechanisms of inheritance of characters, the essence of variability, heredity, patterns of distribution and transmission of genes from parents to offspring, as well as the identification of chromosomal mutations and the consequences of their influence on the organisms of living things.
Genetics covers all the diversity of living systems, from insects to plants and animals. It does not apply only to viruses and bacteria, since these are objects of study of another section of biology.
Cosmic biology
It originates from the 1930s. A lot of scientists from the USA, France, the USSR, and in the present and Russia have invested their many years of work in the development of this interesting, mysterious, very young, but very promising science.
The main task of space biology is to establish differences in the functioning of living biological systems on the Earth and in completely opposite conditions - of space. Thus, space biology is a science that studies the behavior, internal changes, physiology and morphology of living beings in altered environmental conditions - in outer space.
The main factors that distinguish space from terrestrial conditions are as follows:
- other gas environment;
- weightlessness of space;
- acceleration;
- limited mobility;
- vibration;
- vacuum;
- radiation;
- altered magnetic field.
Cosmic biology considers how all these factors affect living beings that have grown in terrestrial conditions, and whether life on earth is possible on other planets.
Space biology is a complex science, therefore it consists of several parts:
- Cosmic physiology.
- Ecobiology
- Exophysiology.
- Space medicine.
General biology, embryology
A science that studies the levels of organization of all living things and the phased origin and formation of every living creature is a common biology. The following subsections are included in this science:
- evolutionary doctrine;
- anthropology;
- paleontology.
General biology is the science of the life of all living things, their formation and development over millions of years, the origin of man, his becoming in society and development as a biological unit.
The main course in general biology is studied as part of the high school curriculum.
Embryology stands out as a section of general biology. She is studying the phased intrauterine formation of each living creature. Also, it was the research of embryologists that proved the similarity and unity of all living things on the planet.
Cytology, histology, organology
Cytology (another name - cell biology) is a science that studies an animal, plant, bacterial cell, viruses and fungal cells, the structure, vital functions and functions of any living cells, and vital processes in them.
Any cells in multicellular eukaryotic systems fold into tissue. And this is the object of study of another section of the vast biological science - histology. Plant and animal tissues, their formation, interchangeability, functions and so on - is the object of study of histologists.
In plants, in animals, tissues form organs. Organology studies science how this process occurs, on what it is based, and what physiological, morphological and biochemical processes it is accompanied by.
Together, they are components of a single whole. They are united by biology. This is a science that studies literally everything. The scale and scope of the studied objects, it is simply amazing.
Zoology, Botany, Anatomy
A school biology course involves studying the basics of such sciences as zoology, botany and anatomy. And this is natural. Indeed, all biology is based precisely on these main sections.
Zoology studies the diversity, structure and behavior of animals, all representatives of the animal world, from unicellular to mammals.
Botany studies the whole variety of plant organisms, their communities, physiology and external signs, as well as distribution and origin.
Anatomy - a science based on the study of the internal structure of all living things, regardless of belonging to a particular kingdom of nature.
The totality of these sections is biology. This is a science that studies all aspects of the biomass of the planet. Interesting, isn't it?
Thus, it is not difficult to draw a conclusion about the extraordinary diversity of knowledge that biology as a science gives us. The role of biology in the life of modern man is infinitely great and significant, as evidenced by the vastness and complexity of its sciences.