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The Branches of Biology
Learning Outcomes Identify the main branches of biology The scope of biology is broad and therefore contains many branches and sub-disciplines. Biologists may pursue one of those sub-disciplines and work in a more focused field. For instance, molecular biology and biochemistry study biological processes at the molecular and chemical level, including interactions among molecules such Read more »
Introduction to the Study of Biology
Describe biology as a science and identify the key components of scientific inquiry The scope of biology is vast. Biologists may study anything from the microscopic (Figure 1a) or submicroscopic view of a cell to ecosystems (Figure 1b) and the whole living planet. Listening to the daily news, you will quickly realize how many aspects of Read more »
Introduction to Taxonomy
Describe classification and organizational tools biologists use, including modern taxonomy Viewed from space, Earth offers no clues about the diversity of life forms that reside there. The first forms of life on Earth are thought to have been microorganisms that existed for billions of years in the ocean before plants and animals appeared. The mammals, Read more »
Introduction to Prokaryotes and Eukaryotes
Identify the different kinds of cells that make up different kinds of organisms There are two types of cells: prokaryotic and eukaryotic. In this section, we’ll explore the similarities and differences between these two types. What You’ll Learn to Do Identify features common to all cells Contrast the composition and size of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells Learning Activities Read more »
Introduction to Characteristics of Life
List the defining characteristics of biological life Biology is the science that studies life, but what exactly is life? This may sound like a silly question with an obvious response, but it is not always easy to define life. For example, a branch of biology called virology studies viruses, which exhibit some of the characteristics Read more »
Why It Matters: Introduction to Biology
Why define biology and apply its principles? One night while she was scrolling through her social media feeds, Cristina saw that her brother had linked to an article about some of the world’s weirdest animals. As she paged through the article, Cristina became increasingly interested in the different features these animals had: some were eyeless, some were colorless, and others Read more »
