Biology is considered a natural science involved in the study of life and living organisms which is why it is generally ascribed to as the “science of life”. The term biology derives from the Greek words “bios” meaning life, and “–logia” the study of.
Biology being a natural science deals with the living world on how it is structured, how it functions and what these functions are, how it develops, how living things came into existence, and how they react to one another and with their environment.
Biology has main sub-classifications that concerns with major classes of living creatures being one of the largest branches of science:
- Zoology - the study of animals, along with the classification, physiology, development, and behavior.
- Botany - the study of plants.
- Microbiology - the study of microscopic organisms and their interactions with other living things
Other than the classifications established on the category of organism being studied, biology also contains several specialized sub-disciplines, which may focus on just one category of organism or address organisms from different categories.
Sub-disciplines 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.
The foundations of modern biology include four components:
Cell Theory
The cell theory proves and states that a cell is the fundamental unit of life. All living organisms are made of one or more cells. In some cases, organisms are made of the secreted products of cells like shells. All cells contain the hereditary information of life, that is, DNA and RNA.
Gene Theory
The gene theory states that genes are inherited by all organisms from their parents. All organisms from a tiny virus or bacteria to a multicellular organism like the elephant follow the same process of copying and translating DNA to proteins. The progeny will contain sets of similar genes transferred from the parent.
The theory of evolution states that all organisms have descended from a common ancestral gene pool on earth. Over thousands of years genetic changes have lead to formation of different species. Over thousands of generation, changes take place in an organisms that may be small or large and in some cases, visible or inconspicuous.
All living organisms are able to maintain homeostasis. This means regulation of their internal environment to maintain equilibrium with the environmental changes.
Thermodynamics
Energy is transferred from one form to another with the help of food and metabolic processes. Thus, energy transformation is not always efficient, but energy will forever remain constant.
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