Biology

The science of life — from molecules to ecosystems

What Is Biology?

Biology is the study of living organisms and their interactions with each other and their environments. It spans scales from subcellular molecules to entire biomes.

Core Areas

• Cell Biology — the cell as the fundamental unit of life; organelles, membranes, cell division
• Molecular Biology — DNA, RNA, proteins, and gene expression
• Genetics — heredity, mutations, inheritance patterns
• Evolution — natural selection, speciation, common descent
• Ecology — organisms in their environments; food webs, biomes, biodiversity
• Physiology — how organ systems function (circulatory, nervous, immune, etc.)

The Central Dogma

DNA is transcribed into RNA, which is translated into protein. This flow of genetic information underpins all of life.

Key Milestones

• 1859 — Darwin's On the Origin of Species
• 1865 — Mendel's laws of inheritance
• 1953 — Watson & Crick discover the double helix structure of DNA
• 1990–2003 — The Human Genome Project maps all ~20,000 human genes
• 2012 — CRISPR gene-editing technology developed