For example, recent news topics include Escherichia coli ( Figure 1.3) outbreaks in spinach and Salmonella contamination in peanut butter. Listening to the daily news, you will quickly realize how many aspects of biology we discuss every day. Biologists may study anything from the microscopic or submicroscopic view of a cell to ecosystems and the whole living planet ( Figure 1.2). This is a very broad definition because the scope of biology is vast. What is biology? In simple terms, biology is the study of life. (credit a: modification of work by NASA credit b: modification of work by Ruth Ellison scale-bar data from Matt Russell) These (b) stromatolites along the shores of Lake Thetis in Western Australia are ancient structures formed by layering cyanobacteria in shallow waters. Put those two words together and you get the "study of life.Figure 1.2 Formerly called blue-green algae, these (a) cyanobacteria, magnified 300x under a light microscope, are some of Earth’s oldest life forms. The word biology comes from the Greek words "bios" which means life and "logia" which means "study of". Plants gather energy from the Sun through photosynthesis. For example, humans use food such as vegetables and meat. Energy - All living organisms are able to use external substances for energy.For example, humans are able to regulate their body temperature to 98.6 degrees. Homeostasis - Homeostasis is the process by which an organism or cell is able to regulate its conditions.Genetics - Genetics is the study of how organisms pass on features and traits from generation to generation.Every living organism is made up of one or more cells. The cell - The cell is the fundamental unit of all life.There are many branches of science that are part of biology including ecology (how organisms interact with their environment), agriculture (the study of producing crops from the land), biochemistry (the chemical reactions needed to support life), botany (the study of plants), physiology (how living organisms function), and zoology (the study of animals).īiology is based on some key theories and fundamentals: This includes such subjects as the cell, genes, inheritance, microorganisms, plants, animals, and the human body. Biology is the branch of science that studies life and living organisms.
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