List Of Basic Biology Topics
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Biology – The
natural science Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...
that studies life. Areas of focus include structure, function, growth, origin, evolution, distribution, and taxonomy.


History of biology

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History of anatomy The history of anatomy spans from the earliest examinations of sacrifice, sacrificial victims to the advanced studies of the human body conducted by modern scientists. Written descriptions of human organs and parts can be traced back thousands of ...
* History of biochemistry *
History of biotechnology Biotechnology is the application of scientific and engineering principles to the processing of materials by biological agents to provide goods and services. From its inception, biotechnology has maintained a close relationship with society. Altho ...
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History of botany The history of botany examines the human effort to understand life on Earth by tracing the historical development of the discipline of botany—that part of natural science dealing with organisms traditionally treated as plants. Rudimentary ...
* History of ecology *
History of genetics The history of genetics dates from the classical era with contributions by Pythagoras, Hippocrates, Aristotle, Epicurus, and others. Modern genetics began with the work of the Augustinian friar Gregor Johann Mendel. Experiments on Plant Hybridis ...
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History of evolutionary thought Evolutionary thought, the recognition that species change over time and the perceived understanding of how such processes work, has roots in antiquity. With the beginnings of modern Taxonomy (biology), biological taxonomy in the late 17th cent ...
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Darwinism ''Darwinism'' is a term used to describe a theory of biological evolution developed by the English naturalist Charles Darwin (1809–1882) and others. The theory states that all species of organisms arise and develop through the natural sel ...
** Eclipse of Darwinism (
Lamarckism Lamarckism, also known as Lamarckian inheritance or neo-Lamarckism, is the notion that an organism can pass on to its offspring physical characteristics that the parent organism acquired through use or disuse during its lifetime. It is also calle ...
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Orthogenesis Orthogenesis, also known as orthogenetic evolution, progressive evolution, evolutionary progress, or progressionism, is an Superseded theories in science, obsolete biological hypothesis that organisms have an innate tendency to evolution, evolve ...
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Structuralism Structuralism is an intellectual current and methodological approach, primarily in the social sciences, that interprets elements of human culture by way of their relationship to a broader system. It works to uncover the structural patterns t ...
, and Mutationism) ** Modern (evolutionary) synthesis **
History of molecular evolution The history of molecular evolution starts in the early 20th century with "comparative biochemistry", but the field of molecular evolution came into its own in the 1960s and 1970s, following the rise of molecular biology. The advent of protein sequ ...
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History of speciation The scientific study of speciation — how species evolve to become new species — began around the time of Charles Darwin in the middle of the 19th century. Many naturalists at the time recognized the relationship between biogeography (the way ...
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History of marine biology Marine biology is a hybrid subject that combines aspects of organismal function, ecological interaction and the study of marine biodiversity. The earliest studies of marine biology trace back to the Phoenicians and the Greeks who are known as th ...
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History of medicine The history of medicine is both a study of medicine throughout history as well as a multidisciplinary field of study that seeks to explore and understand medical practices, both past and present, throughout human societies. The history of med ...
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History of model organisms Model organisms are specific organisms studied to gain knowledge of other organisms, to generalize both within and between species. Model organisms offer standards for comparison of other organisms.Rader, ''Making Mice'', p. 16 Model organism st ...
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History of molecular biology The history of molecular biology begins in the 1930s with the convergence of various, previously distinct biological and physical disciplines: biochemistry, genetics, microbiology, virology and physics. With the hope of understanding life at its m ...
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Natural history Natural history is a domain of inquiry involving organisms, including animals, fungi, and plants, in their natural environment, leaning more towards observational than experimental methods of study. A person who studies natural history is cal ...
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History of neuroscience From the ancient Egyptian mummifications to 18th-century scientific research on "globules" and neurons, there is evidence of neuroscience practice throughout the early periods of history. The early civilizations lacked adequate means to obtain kno ...
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History of plant systematics The history of plant systematics—the biological classification of plants—stretches from the work of ancient Greek to modern evolutionary biologists. As a field of science, plant systematics came into being only slowly, early plant lore usual ...
* History of pathology * History of virology * History of zoology


Overview

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Biology Biology is the scientific study of life and living organisms. It is a broad natural science that encompasses a wide range of fields and unifying principles that explain the structure, function, growth, History of life, origin, evolution, and ...
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Science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
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Life Life, also known as biota, refers to matter that has biological processes, such as Cell signaling, signaling and self-sustaining processes. It is defined descriptively by the capacity for homeostasis, Structure#Biological, organisation, met ...
***Properties:
Adaptation In biology, adaptation has three related meanings. Firstly, it is the dynamic evolutionary process of natural selection that fits organisms to their environment, enhancing their evolutionary fitness. Secondly, it is a state reached by the p ...
Energy processingGrowthOrder
Regulation Regulation is the management of complex systems according to a set of rules and trends. In systems theory, these types of rules exist in various fields of biology and society, but the term has slightly different meanings according to context. Fo ...
Reproduction Reproduction (or procreation or breeding) is the biological process by which new individual organisms – "offspring" – are produced from their "parent" or parents. There are two forms of reproduction: Asexual reproduction, asexual and Sexual ...
Response to environment ** Biological organization:
atom Atoms are the basic particles of the chemical elements. An atom consists of a atomic nucleus, nucleus of protons and generally neutrons, surrounded by an electromagnetically bound swarm of electrons. The chemical elements are distinguished fr ...
molecule A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by Force, attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemi ...
celltissueorgan
organ system An organ system is a biological system consisting of a group of organ (biology), organs that work together to perform one or more bodily functions. Each organ has a specialized role in an organism body, and is made up of distinct Tissue (biolog ...
organism An organism is any life, living thing that functions as an individual. Such a definition raises more problems than it solves, not least because the concept of an individual is also difficult. Many criteria, few of them widely accepted, have be ...
population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...
community A community is a social unit (a group of people) with a shared socially-significant characteristic, such as place, set of norms, culture, religion, values, customs, or identity. Communities may share a sense of place situated in a given g ...
ecosystem An ecosystem (or ecological system) is a system formed by Organism, organisms in interaction with their Biophysical environment, environment. The Biotic material, biotic and abiotic components are linked together through nutrient cycles and en ...
biosphere The biosphere (), also called the ecosphere (), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed the zone of life on the Earth. The biosphere (which is technically a spherical shell) is virtually a closed system with regard to mat ...
***Approach:
Reductionism Reductionism is any of several related philosophical ideas regarding the associations between phenomena which can be described in terms of simpler or more fundamental phenomena. It is also described as an intellectual and philosophical positi ...
emergent propertymechanistic *Biology as a
science Science is a systematic discipline that builds and organises knowledge in the form of testable hypotheses and predictions about the universe. Modern science is typically divided into twoor threemajor branches: the natural sciences, which stu ...
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Natural science Natural science or empirical science is one of the branches of science concerned with the description, understanding and prediction of natural phenomena, based on empirical evidence from observation and experimentation. Mechanisms such as peer ...
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Scientific method The scientific method is an Empirical evidence, empirical method for acquiring knowledge that has been referred to while doing science since at least the 17th century. Historically, it was developed through the centuries from the ancient and ...
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observation Observation in the natural sciences is an act or instance of noticing or perceiving and the acquisition of information from a primary source. In living beings, observation employs the senses. In science, observation can also involve the percep ...
research question A research question is "a question that a research project sets out to answer". Choosing a research question is an essential element of both quantitative and qualitative research. Investigation will require data collection and analysis, and the ...
hypothesis A hypothesis (: hypotheses) is a proposed explanation for a phenomenon. A scientific hypothesis must be based on observations and make a testable and reproducible prediction about reality, in a process beginning with an educated guess o ...
testability Testability is a primary aspect of science and the scientific method. There are two components to testability: #Falsifiability or defeasibility, which means that counterexamples to the hypothesis are logically possible. #The practical feasibilit ...
prediction A prediction (Latin ''præ-'', "before," and ''dictum'', "something said") or forecast is a statement about a future event or about future data. Predictions are often, but not always, based upon experience or knowledge of forecasters. There ...
experiment An experiment is a procedure carried out to support or refute a hypothesis, or determine the efficacy or likelihood of something previously untried. Experiments provide insight into cause-and-effect by demonstrating what outcome occurs whe ...
data Data ( , ) are a collection of discrete or continuous values that convey information, describing the quantity, quality, fact, statistics, other basic units of meaning, or simply sequences of symbols that may be further interpreted for ...
statistics Statistics (from German language, German: ', "description of a State (polity), state, a country") is the discipline that concerns the collection, organization, analysis, interpretation, and presentation of data. In applying statistics to a s ...
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Scientific theory A scientific theory is an explanation of an aspect of the universe, natural world that can be or that has been reproducibility, repeatedly tested and has corroborating evidence in accordance with the scientific method, using accepted protocol (s ...
scientific law Scientific laws or laws of science are statements, based on repeated experiments or observations, that describe or predict a range of natural phenomena. The term ''law'' has diverse usage in many cases (approximate, accurate, broad, or narrow ...
* Research method ** List of research methods in biology *Scientific literature ** List of biology journals:
peer review Peer review is the evaluation of work by one or more people with similar competencies as the producers of the work (:wiktionary:peer#Etymology 2, peers). It functions as a form of self-regulation by qualified members of a profession within the ...


Chemical basis

Outline of biochemistry The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to biochemistry: Biochemistry – study of chemical processes in living organisms, including living matter. Biochemistry governs all living organisms and living processe ...
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Atom Atoms are the basic particles of the chemical elements. An atom consists of a atomic nucleus, nucleus of protons and generally neutrons, surrounded by an electromagnetically bound swarm of electrons. The chemical elements are distinguished fr ...
s and
molecule A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by Force, attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemi ...
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matter In classical physics and general chemistry, matter is any substance that has mass and takes up space by having volume. All everyday objects that can be touched are ultimately composed of atoms, which are made up of interacting subatomic pa ...
element
atom Atoms are the basic particles of the chemical elements. An atom consists of a atomic nucleus, nucleus of protons and generally neutrons, surrounded by an electromagnetically bound swarm of electrons. The chemical elements are distinguished fr ...
proton A proton is a stable subatomic particle, symbol , Hydron (chemistry), H+, or 1H+ with a positive electric charge of +1 ''e'' (elementary charge). Its mass is slightly less than the mass of a neutron and approximately times the mass of an e ...
neutron The neutron is a subatomic particle, symbol or , that has no electric charge, and a mass slightly greater than that of a proton. The Discovery of the neutron, neutron was discovered by James Chadwick in 1932, leading to the discovery of nucle ...
electron The electron (, or in nuclear reactions) is a subatomic particle with a negative one elementary charge, elementary electric charge. It is a fundamental particle that comprises the ordinary matter that makes up the universe, along with up qua ...
Bohr model In atomic physics, the Bohr model or Rutherford–Bohr model was a model of the atom that incorporated some early quantum concepts. Developed from 1911 to 1918 by Niels Bohr and building on Ernest Rutherford's nuclear Rutherford model, model, i ...
isotope Isotopes are distinct nuclear species (or ''nuclides'') of the same chemical element. They have the same atomic number (number of protons in their Atomic nucleus, nuclei) and position in the periodic table (and hence belong to the same chemica ...
chemical bond A chemical bond is the association of atoms or ions to form molecules, crystals, and other structures. The bond may result from the electrostatic force between oppositely charged ions as in ionic bonds or through the sharing of electrons a ...
ionic bond Ionic bonding is a type of chemical bond A chemical bond is the association of atoms or ions to form molecules, crystals, and other structures. The bond may result from the electrostatic force between oppositely charged ions as in ionic ...
ions –
covalent bond A covalent bond is a chemical bond that involves the sharing of electrons to form electron pairs between atoms. These electron pairs are known as shared pairs or bonding pairs. The stable balance of attractive and repulsive forces between atom ...
hydrogen bond In chemistry, a hydrogen bond (H-bond) is a specific type of molecular interaction that exhibits partial covalent character and cannot be described as a purely electrostatic force. It occurs when a hydrogen (H) atom, Covalent bond, covalently b ...
molecule A molecule is a group of two or more atoms that are held together by Force, attractive forces known as chemical bonds; depending on context, the term may or may not include ions that satisfy this criterion. In quantum physics, organic chemi ...
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Water Water is an inorganic compound with the chemical formula . It is a transparent, tasteless, odorless, and Color of water, nearly colorless chemical substance. It is the main constituent of Earth's hydrosphere and the fluids of all known liv ...
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properties of water Water () is a Chemical polarity, polar inorganic compound that is at room temperature a tasteless and odorless liquid, which is nearly colorless apart from Color of water, an inherent hint of blue. It is by far the most studied chemical compou ...
solvent A solvent (from the Latin language, Latin ''wikt:solvo#Latin, solvō'', "loosen, untie, solve") is a substance that dissolves a solute, resulting in a Solution (chemistry), solution. A solvent is usually a liquid but can also be a solid, a gas ...
cohesion
adhesion Adhesion is the tendency of dissimilar particles or interface (matter), surfaces to cling to one another. (Cohesion (chemistry), Cohesion refers to the tendency of similar or identical particles and surfaces to cling to one another.) The ...
surface tension Surface tension is the tendency of liquid surfaces at rest to shrink into the minimum surface area possible. Surface tension (physics), tension is what allows objects with a higher density than water such as razor blades and insects (e.g. Ge ...
pH *
Organic compound Some chemical authorities define an organic compound as a chemical compound that contains a carbon–hydrogen or carbon–carbon bond; others consider an organic compound to be any chemical compound that contains carbon. For example, carbon-co ...
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carbon Carbon () is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalence, tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 ...
carbon-carbon bonds –
hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and Hydrophobe, hydrophobic; their odor is usually fain ...
monosaccharide Monosaccharides (from Greek '' monos'': single, '' sacchar'': sugar), also called simple sugars, are the simplest forms of sugar and the most basic units (monomers) from which all carbohydrates are built. Chemically, monosaccharides are polyhy ...
amino acid Amino acids are organic compounds that contain both amino and carboxylic acid functional groups. Although over 500 amino acids exist in nature, by far the most important are the 22 α-amino acids incorporated into proteins. Only these 22 a ...
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nucleotide Nucleotides are Organic compound, organic molecules composed of a nitrogenous base, a pentose sugar and a phosphate. They serve as monomeric units of the nucleic acid polymers – deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and ribonucleic acid (RNA), both o ...
functional group In organic chemistry, a functional group is any substituent or moiety (chemistry), moiety in a molecule that causes the molecule's characteristic chemical reactions. The same functional group will undergo the same or similar chemical reactions r ...
monomer A monomer ( ; ''mono-'', "one" + '' -mer'', "part") is a molecule that can react together with other monomer molecules to form a larger polymer chain or two- or three-dimensional network in a process called polymerization. Classification Chemis ...
adenosine triphosphate (ATP)
lipid Lipids are a broad group of organic compounds which include fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins A, D, E and K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The functions of lipids include storing ...
s – oil
sugar Sugar is the generic name for sweet-tasting, soluble carbohydrates, many of which are used in food. Simple sugars, also called monosaccharides, include glucose Glucose is a sugar with the Chemical formula#Molecular formula, molecul ...
vitamin Vitamins are Organic compound, organic molecules (or a set of closely related molecules called vitamer, vitamers) that are essential to an organism in small quantities for proper metabolism, metabolic function. Nutrient#Essential nutrients, ...
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neurotransmitter A neurotransmitter is a signaling molecule secreted by a neuron to affect another cell across a Chemical synapse, synapse. The cell receiving the signal, or target cell, may be another neuron, but could also be a gland or muscle cell. Neurotra ...
wax *
Macromolecule A macromolecule is a "molecule of high relative molecular mass, the structure of which essentially comprises the multiple repetition of units derived, actually or conceptually, from molecules of low relative molecular mass." Polymers are physi ...
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polysaccharide Polysaccharides (), or polycarbohydrates, are the most abundant carbohydrates found in food. They are long-chain polymeric carbohydrates composed of monosaccharide units bound together by glycosidic linkages. This carbohydrate can react with wat ...
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cellulose Cellulose is an organic compound with the chemical formula, formula , a polysaccharide consisting of a linear chain of several hundred to many thousands of glycosidic bond, β(1→4) linked glucose, D-glucose units. Cellulose is an important s ...
carbohydrate A carbohydrate () is a biomolecule composed of carbon (C), hydrogen (H), and oxygen (O) atoms. The typical hydrogen-to-oxygen atomic ratio is 2:1, analogous to that of water, and is represented by the empirical formula (where ''m'' and ''n'' ...
chitin Chitin (carbon, C8hydrogen, H13oxygen, O5nitrogen, N)n ( ) is a long-chain polymer of N-Acetylglucosamine, ''N''-acetylglucosamine, an amide derivative of glucose. Chitin is the second most abundant polysaccharide in nature (behind only cell ...
glycogen Glycogen is a multibranched polysaccharide of glucose that serves as a form of energy storage in animals, fungi, and bacteria. It is the main storage form of glucose in the human body. Glycogen functions as one of three regularly used forms ...
starch Starch or amylum is a polymeric carbohydrate consisting of numerous glucose units joined by glycosidic bonds. This polysaccharide is produced by most green plants for energy storage. Worldwide, it is the most common carbohydrate in human diet ...
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protein Proteins are large biomolecules and macromolecules that comprise one or more long chains of amino acid residue (biochemistry), residues. Proteins perform a vast array of functions within organisms, including Enzyme catalysis, catalysing metab ...
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primary structure Protein primary structure is the linear sequence of amino acids in a peptide or protein. By convention, the primary structure of a protein is reported starting from the amino-terminal (N) end to the carboxyl-terminal (C) end. Protein biosynthe ...
secondary structure Protein secondary structure is the local spatial conformation of the polypeptide backbone excluding the side chains. The two most common Protein structure#Secondary structure, secondary structural elements are alpha helix, alpha helices and beta ...
tertiary structure Protein tertiary structure is the three-dimensional shape of a protein. The tertiary structure will have a single polypeptide chain "backbone" with one or more protein secondary structures, the protein domains. Amino acid side chains and the ...
conformation
native state In biochemistry, the native state of a protein or nucleic acid is its properly Protein folding, folded and/or assembled form, which is operative and functional. The native state of a biomolecule may possess all four levels of biomolecular structu ...
protein folding Protein folding is the physical process by which a protein, after Protein biosynthesis, synthesis by a ribosome as a linear chain of Amino acid, amino acids, changes from an unstable random coil into a more ordered protein tertiary structure, t ...
enzyme An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...
receptor Receptor may refer to: * Sensory receptor, in physiology, any neurite structure that, on receiving environmental stimuli, produces an informative nerve impulse *Receptor (biochemistry), in biochemistry, a protein molecule that receives and respond ...
transmembrane receptor Cell surface receptors (membrane receptors, transmembrane receptors) are receptor (biochemistry), receptors that are embedded in the cell membrane, plasma membrane of cell (biology), cells. They act in cell signaling by receiving (binding to) ex ...
ion channel Ion channels are pore-forming membrane proteins that allow ions to pass through the channel pore. Their functions include establishing a resting membrane potential, shaping action potentials and other electrical signals by Gating (electrophysiol ...
membrane transporter
collagen Collagen () is the main structural protein in the extracellular matrix of the connective tissues of many animals. It is the most abundant protein in mammals, making up 25% to 35% of protein content. Amino acids are bound together to form a trip ...
pigment A pigment is a powder used to add or alter color or change visual appearance. Pigments are completely or nearly solubility, insoluble and reactivity (chemistry), chemically unreactive in water or another medium; in contrast, dyes are colored sub ...
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chlorophyll Chlorophyll is any of several related green pigments found in cyanobacteria and in the chloroplasts of algae and plants. Its name is derived from the Greek words (, "pale green") and (, "leaf"). Chlorophyll allows plants to absorb energy ...
carotenoid Carotenoids () are yellow, orange, and red organic pigments that are produced by plants and algae, as well as several bacteria, archaea, and fungi. Carotenoids give the characteristic color to pumpkins, carrots, parsnips, corn, tomatoes, cana ...
xanthophyll
melanin Melanin (; ) is a family of biomolecules organized as oligomers or polymers, which among other functions provide the pigments of many organisms. Melanin pigments are produced in a specialized group of cells known as melanocytes. There are ...
prion A prion () is a Proteinopathy, misfolded protein that induces misfolding in normal variants of the same protein, leading to cellular death. Prions are responsible for prion diseases, known as transmissible spongiform encephalopathy (TSEs), w ...
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lipids Lipids are a broad group of organic compounds which include fats, waxes, sterols, fat-soluble vitamins (such as vitamins Vitamin A, A, Vitamin D, D, Vitamin E, E and Vitamin K, K), monoglycerides, diglycerides, phospholipids, and others. The fu ...
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cell membrane The cell membrane (also known as the plasma membrane or cytoplasmic membrane, and historically referred to as the plasmalemma) is a biological membrane that separates and protects the interior of a cell from the outside environment (the extr ...
fat In nutrition science, nutrition, biology, and chemistry, fat usually means any ester of fatty acids, or a mixture of such chemical compound, compounds, most commonly those that occur in living beings or in food. The term often refers specif ...
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phospholipid Phospholipids are a class of lipids whose molecule has a hydrophilic "head" containing a phosphate group and two hydrophobic "tails" derived from fatty acids, joined by an alcohol residue (usually a glycerol molecule). Marine phospholipids typ ...
s **
nucleic acid Nucleic acids are large biomolecules that are crucial in all cells and viruses. They are composed of nucleotides, which are the monomer components: a pentose, 5-carbon sugar, a phosphate group and a nitrogenous base. The two main classes of nuclei ...
s:
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...
RNA Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule that is essential for most biological functions, either by performing the function itself (non-coding RNA) or by forming a template for the production of proteins (messenger RNA). RNA and deoxyrib ...


Cells

Outline of
cell biology Cell biology (also cellular biology or cytology) is a branch of biology that studies the structure, function, and behavior of cells. All living organisms are made of cells. A cell is the basic unit of life that is responsible for the living an ...
*Cell structure: ** Cell coined by
Robert Hooke Robert Hooke (; 18 July 16353 March 1703) was an English polymath who was active as a physicist ("natural philosopher"), astronomer, geologist, meteorologist, and architect. He is credited as one of the first scientists to investigate living ...
**Techniques:
cell culture Cell culture or tissue culture is the process by which cell (biology), cells are grown under controlled conditions, generally outside of their natural environment. After cells of interest have been Cell isolation, isolated from living tissue, ...
flow cytometry
microscope A microscope () is a laboratory equipment, laboratory instrument used to examine objects that are too small to be seen by the naked eye. Microscopy is the science of investigating small objects and structures using a microscope. Microscopic ...
light microscope The optical microscope, also referred to as a light microscope, is a type of microscope that commonly uses visible spectrum, visible light and a system of lens (optics), lenses to generate magnified images of small objects. Optical microscopes ...
electron microscopySEMTEMlive cell imaging **
Organelle In cell biology, an organelle is a specialized subunit, usually within a cell (biology), cell, that has a specific function. The name ''organelle'' comes from the idea that these structures are parts of cells, as Organ (anatomy), organs are to th ...
s:
Cytoplasm The cytoplasm describes all the material within a eukaryotic or prokaryotic cell, enclosed by the cell membrane, including the organelles and excluding the nucleus in eukaryotic cells. The material inside the nucleus of a eukaryotic cell a ...
Vacuole A vacuole () is a membrane-bound organelle which is present in Plant cell, plant and Fungus, fungal Cell (biology), cells and some protist, animal, and bacterial cells. Vacuoles are essentially enclosed compartments which are filled with water ...
– Peroxisome – Plastid *** Cell nucleus **** Nucleoplasm – Nucleolus – Chromatin – Chromosome *** Endomembrane system **** Nuclear envelope – Endoplasmic reticulum – Golgi apparatus – Vesicle (biology), Vesicles – Lysosome *** Energy creators: Mitochondrion and Chloroplast **Biological membranes: *** Plasma membrane – Mitochondrial membrane – Chloroplast membrane **Other subcellular features: Cell wall – pseudopod – cytoskeleton – mitotic spindle – flagellum – cilium *** Cell transport: Diffusion – Osmosis – Tonicity, isotonic – active transport – phagocytosis ***Cellular reproduction: cytokinesis – centromere – meiosis ***Nuclear reproduction: mitosis – interphase – prophase – metaphase – anaphase – telophase ***programmed cell death – apoptosis – senescence, cell senescence *Metabolism: ***
enzyme An enzyme () is a protein that acts as a biological catalyst by accelerating chemical reactions. The molecules upon which enzymes may act are called substrate (chemistry), substrates, and the enzyme converts the substrates into different mol ...
- activation energy - proteolysis – cooperativity *Cellular respiration *** Glycolysis – Pyruvate dehydrogenase complex – Citric acid cycle – electron transport chain – fermentation (biochemistry), fermentation *Photosynthesis *** light-dependent reactions – Calvin cycle *Cell cycle **mitosis – chromosome – haploid – diploid – polyploidy – prophase – metaphase – anaphase – telophase – cytokinesis – meiosis


Genetics

Outline of genetics, Outline of Genetics *Inheritance **heredity – Mendelian inheritance – gene – locus (genetics), locus – Trait (biological), trait – allele – polymorphism (biology), polymorphism – homozygote – heterozygote – Hybrid (biology), hybrid – Hybrid (biology), hybridization – dihybrid cross – Punnett square – inbreeding **genotype–phenotype distinction – genotype – phenotype – dominant gene – recessive gene **genetic interactions – Mendelian_inheritance#Law_of_Segregation_of_genes, Mendel's law of segregation – genetic mosaic – maternal effect – penetrance – complementation (genetics), complementation – suppression (genetics), suppression – epistasis – genetic linkage **Model organisms: ''Drosophila melanogaster, Drosophila'' – ''Arabidopsis thaliana, Arabidopsis'' – ''Caenorhabditis elegans'' – mouse – ''Saccharomyces cerevisiae'' – ''Escherichia coli'' – Lambda phage – ''Xenopus'' – chicken – zebrafish – ''Ciona intestinalis'' – amphioxus **Techniques: genetic screen – linkage map – genetic map *
DNA Deoxyribonucleic acid (; DNA) is a polymer composed of two polynucleotide chains that coil around each other to form a double helix. The polymer carries genetic instructions for the development, functioning, growth and reproduction of al ...
**Nucleic acid double helix **Nucleobase: adenine (A) – cytosine (C) – guanine (G) – thymine (T) – uracil (U) **DNA replication – mutation – mutation rate – Proofreading (biology), proofreading – DNA mismatch repair – point mutation – Chromosomal crossover, crossover – Genetic recombination, recombination – plasmid – transposon *Gene expression **Central dogma of molecular biology: nucleosome – genetic code – codon – transcription factor – Transcription (genetics), transcription – Translation (biology), translation –
RNA Ribonucleic acid (RNA) is a polymeric molecule that is essential for most biological functions, either by performing the function itself (non-coding RNA) or by forming a template for the production of proteins (messenger RNA). RNA and deoxyrib ...
– histone – telomere **heterochromatin – promoter (biology), promoter – RNA polymerase **Protein biosynthesis – ribosomes *Regulation of gene expression, Gene regulation **operon – Activator (genetics), activator – repressor – corepressor – Enhancer (genetics), enhancer – alternative splicing *Genomes **DNA sequencing – high throughput sequencing – bioinformatics **Proteome – proteomics – metabolome – metabolomics **DNA paternity testing *Biotechnology (see also Outline of biochemical techniques and Molecular biology): **DNA fingerprinting – genetic fingerprint – Microsatellite (genetics), microsatellite – gene knockout – Genomic imprinting, imprinting – RNA interference Genomics – computational biology – bioinformatics – gel electrophoresis – Transformation (genetics), transformation – Polymerase chain reaction, PCR – PCR mutagenesis – primer (molecular biology), primer – chromosome walking – RFLP – restriction enzyme – sequencing – shotgun sequencing – cloning – Microbiological culture, culture – DNA microarray – electrophoresis – protein tag – affinity chromatography – x-ray diffraction – proteomics – mass spectrometry – CRISPR gene editing, CRISPR – gene therapy *Genes, development, and evolution **Apoptosis **French flag model **Pattern formation#Biology, Pattern formation **Evo-devo gene toolkit **Transcription factor


Evolution

Outline of evolution (see also evolutionary biology) *Evolutionary processes **evolution **microevolution: adaptation – Selection (biology), selection – natural selection – directional selection – sexual selection – genetic drift – sexual reproduction – asexual reproduction – Colony (biology), colony – allele frequency – neutral theory of molecular evolution – population genetics – Hardy–Weinberg principle *Speciation **Species *phylogenetic tree, Phylogeny **Lineage (evolution) – evolutionary tree – cladistics – species – taxon – clade – monophyletic – polyphyly – paraphyly – heredity – phenotypic trait – nucleic acid sequence – synapomorphy – homology (biology), homology – molecular clock – outgroup (cladistics) – maximum parsimony (phylogenetics) – Computational phylogenetics **Linnaean taxonomy: Carl Linnaeus – domain (biology) – kingdom (biology) – phylum – class (biology) – order (biology) – family (biology) – genus – species **Three-domain system: archaea – bacteria – eukaryote – protist – fungi – plant – animal **Binomial nomenclature: scientific classification – ''Homo sapiens'' *History of life **Origin of life – hierarchy of life – Miller–Urey experiment **Macroevolution: adaptive radiation – convergent evolution – extinction – mass extinction – fossil – taphonomy – geologic time – plate tectonics – continental drift – vicariance – Gondwana – Pangaea – endosymbiosis


Diversity

*Bacteria and Archaea *Protists *Plant diversity ** Green algae *** Chlorophyta *** Charophyta ** Bryophytes *** Marchantiophyta *** Anthocerotophyta *** Moss ** Pteridophytes *** Lycopodiophyta *** Polypodiophyta ** Seed plants *** Cycadophyta *** Ginkgophyta *** Pinophyta *** Gnetophyta *** Magnoliophyta *Fungi **Yeast – mold (fungus) – mushroom *Animal diversity **Invertebrates: ***sponge – cnidarian – coral – jellyfish – Hydra (genus) – sea anemone ***flatworms – nematodes ***arthropods: crustacean – chelicerata – myriapoda – arachnids – insects – annelids – mollusca, molluscs **Vertebrates: ***fishes: – agnatha – chondrichthyes – osteichthyes ***Tiktaalik ***tetrapods ****amphibians ****reptiles ****birds *****flightless birds – Neognathae – dinosaurs ****mammals *****placental: primates *****marsupial *****monotreme *Viruses **DNA viruses – RNA viruses – retroviruses


Plant form and function

*Plant body **Organ systems: root – Shoot (botany), shoot – plant stem, stem – leaf – flower *Plant nutrition and transport **Vascular tissue – bark (botany) – Casparian strip – turgor pressure – xylem – phloem – transpiration – wood – trunk (botany) *Plant development **tropism – taxis **seed – cotyledon – meristem – apical meristem – vascular cambium – cork cambium **alternation of generations – gametophyte – antheridium – archegonium – sporophyte – spore – sporangium *Plant reproduction **angiosperms – flower – reproduction – sperm – pollination – self-pollination – cross-pollination – nectar – pollen *Plant responses **Plant hormone – ripening – fruit – Ethylene as a plant hormone – toxin – pollinator – phototropism – skototropism – phototropin – phytochrome – auxin – photoperiodism – gravity


Animal form and function

*General features: morphology (biology) – anatomy – physiology – biological tissues – organ (biology) –
organ system An organ system is a biological system consisting of a group of organ (biology), organs that work together to perform one or more bodily functions. Each organ has a specialized role in an organism body, and is made up of distinct Tissue (biolog ...
s *Water and salt balance **Body fluids: osmotic pressure – ionic composition – volume ***Diffusion – osmosis) – Tonicity – sodium – potassium – calcium – chloride **Excretion *Nutrition and digestion **Digestive system: stomach – intestine – liver – nutrition – primary nutritional groups metabolism – kidney – excretion *Breathing **Respiratory system: lungs *Circulation **Circulatory system: heart – artery – vein – capillary – Blood – blood cell **Lymphatic system: lymph node *Muscle and movement **Skeletal system: bone – cartilage – joint – tendon **Muscular system: muscle – actin – myosin – reflex *Nervous system **Neuron – dendrite – axon – nerve – electrochemical gradient – electrophysiology – action potential – signal transduction – synapse –
receptor Receptor may refer to: * Sensory receptor, in physiology, any neurite structure that, on receiving environmental stimuli, produces an informative nerve impulse *Receptor (biochemistry), in biochemistry, a protein molecule that receives and respond ...
– **Central nervous system: brain – spinal cord ***limbic system – memory – vestibular system **Peripheral nervous system **Sensory nervous system: eye – Visual perception, vision – Hearing, audition – proprioception – olfaction – *Integumentary system: skin cell *Hormonal control **Endocrine system: hormone *Animal reproduction **Reproductive system: testes – ovary – pregnancy ***Fish#Reproductive system ***Mammalian reproductive system ****Human reproductive system ****Mammalian penis *****Os penis *****Penile spines ****Genitalia of bottlenose dolphins ****Genitalia of marsupials ****Equine reproductive system ****Even-toed ungulate#Genitourinary system ****Bull#Reproductive anatomy ****Carnivora#Reproductive system *****Fossa (animal)#External genitalia *****Female genitalia of spotted hyenas *****Cat anatomy#Genitalia *****Genitalia of dogs ******Canine penis *******Bulbus glandis *Animal development **stem cell – blastula – gastrula – egg (biology) – fetus – placenta - gamete – spermatid – ovum – zygote – embryo – cellular differentiation – morphogenesis – homeobox *Immune system **antibody – Host (biology), host – vaccine – immune cell – AIDS – T cell – White blood cells, leucocyte *Animal behavior **Behavior: mating – animal communication – seek shelter – migration (ecology) **Fixed action pattern **Altruism (biology)


Ecology

Outline of ecology *Ecosystems: **Ecology – Biodiversity – habitat (ecology), habitat – plankton – thermocline – saprobe **Abiotic component: water – light – radiation – temperature – humidity – atmosphere – acidity **Microbe – Biomass (ecology), biomass – organic matter – decomposer – decomposition –
carbon Carbon () is a chemical element; it has chemical symbol, symbol C and atomic number 6. It is nonmetallic and tetravalence, tetravalent—meaning that its atoms are able to form up to four covalent bonds due to its valence shell exhibiting 4 ...
– nutrient cycling – solar energy – topography – Earth#Axial tilt and seasons, tilt – Windward and leeward – precipitation Temperature – biome *Populations **Population ecology:
organism An organism is any life, living thing that functions as an individual. Such a definition raises more problems than it solves, not least because the concept of an individual is also difficult. Many criteria, few of them widely accepted, have be ...
– geographical area – sexual reproduction – population density – population growth – birth rate – death Rate – immigration rate – exponential growth – carrying capacity – logistic function – natural environment – competition (biology) – mating – biological dispersal – endemic (ecology) – growth curve (biology) – habitat – drinking water – resource – human population – technology – Green revolution *Communities **Community (ecology) – ecological niche – keystone species – mimicry – symbiosis – pollination – Mutualism (biology), mutualism – commensalism – parasitism – predation – invasive species – environmental heterogeneity – edge effect **Consumer–resource interactions: food chain – food web – autotroph – heterotrophs – herbivore – carnivore – trophic level *Biosphere **lithosphere – atmosphere – hydrosphere **biogeochemical cycle: nitrogen cycle – carbon cycle – water cycle **Climate change: Fossil fuel – coal – petroleum, oil – natural gas – World energy consumption – Climate change feedback – Albedo – water vapor Carbon sink *Conservation biology, Conservation **Biodiversity – habitats – Ecosystem services – biodiversity loss – extinction – Sustainability – Holocene extinction – bioremediation


Branches

*Anatomy – study of form in animals, plants and other organisms, or specifically in humans. Simply, the study of internal structure of living organisms. ** Physiology – study of the internal workings of organisms and the functions of anatomical structures. ** Comparative anatomy – the study of evolution of species through similarities and differences in their anatomy. ** Gross anatomy – study of anatomy at the macroscopic level ** Histology – also known as microscopic anatomy or microanatomy, the branch of biology which studies the microscopic anatomy of biological tissues. ** Neuroanatomy – the study of the nervous system. ** Osteology – study of bones. ** Radiographic anatomy – study of anatomy through radiography ** Surface anatomy – study of external features of a body * Outline of biochemistry, Biochemistry – study of the chemical reactions required for life to exist and function, usually a focus on the cellular level. * Biophysics – study of biological processes through the methods traditionally used in the physical sciences. ** Biomechanics – the study of the mechanics of living beings. ** Cell biophysics, Cellular biophysics – study of physical principles underlying cell function ** Neurophysics – study of the development of the nervous system on a molecular level. ** Molecular biophysics – study of physical properties of biomolecules at the molecular level ** Quantum biology – application of quantum mechanics and theoretical chemistry to biological objects and problems. ** Virophysics – study of mechanics and dynamics driving the interactions between virus and cells. * Biotechnology – new and sometimes controversial branch of biology that studies the manipulation of living matter, including genetic modification and synthetic biology. ** Bioinformatics – use of information technology for the study, collection, and storage of genomic and other biological data. ** Bioengineering – study of biology through the means of engineering with an emphasis on applied knowledge and especially related to biotechnology. ** Synthetic biology – research integrating biology and engineering; construction of biological functions not found in nature. * Outline of botany, Botany – study of plants. ** Economic botany – study of relationship between people and plants, including the practical uses of plants ** Ethnobotany – study of a region's plants and their usage by people ** Photobiology – scientific study of the interactions of light (technically, non-ionizing radiation) and living organisms. The field includes the study of photosynthesis, photomorphogenesis, visual processing, circadian rhythms, bioluminescence, and ultraviolet radiation effects. ** Phycology – scientific study of algae. ** Plant anatomy – study of internal structure of plants ** Plant ecology – study of how plants interact with each other and their environment ** Plant genetics – study of heredity and variation in plants ** Plant pathology – study of plant diseases ** Plant physiology – subdiscipline of botany concerned with the functioning, or physiology, of plants. *Outline of cell biology, Cell biology – study of the cell as a complete unit, and the molecular and chemical interactions that occur within a living cell. ** Histology – study of the anatomy of cells and tissues of plants and animals using microscopy. * Chronobiology – field of biology that examines periodic (cyclic) phenomena in living organisms and their adaptation to solar- and lunar-related rhythms. ** Dendrochronology – study of tree rings, using them to date the exact year they were formed in order to analyze atmospheric conditions during different periods in natural history. * Developmental biology – study of the processes through which an organism forms, from zygote to full structure ** Embryology – study of the development of embryo (from fecundation to birth). ** Gerontology – study of aging processes. * Outline of ecology, Ecology – study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with the non-living elements of their environment. ** Behavioral ecology – the study of the Evolution, evolutionary basis for Ethology, animal behavior due to Ecology, ecological pressure ** Ecosystem ecology – study of Biotic component, biotic and Abiotic component, abiotic components of Ecosystem, ecosystems and their interactions within an ecosystem ** Landscape ecology – study of relationships between ecological processes in the environment and particular ecosystems ** Microbial ecology – study of the relationships between Microorganism, microorganisms and their environments ** Population ecology – study of dynamics of species Population, populations and how these populations interact with the Natural environment, environment ** Urban ecology – study of the relationships between living organisms with each other and their urban environment. ** Biogeography – study of the distribution of species spatially and temporally. * Evolutionary biology – study of the origin and descent of species over time. ** Evolutionary developmental biology – field of biology that compares the developmental processes of different organisms to determine the ancestral relationship between them, and to discover how developmental processes evolved. ** Paleobiology – discipline which combines the methods and findings of the life sciences with the methods and findings of the earth science, paleontology. *** Paleoanthropology – the study of fossil evidence for human evolution, mainly using remains from extinct hominin and other primate species to determine the morphological and behavioral changes in the human lineage, as well as the environment in which human evolution occurred. *** Paleobotany – study of fossil plants. *** Paleontology – study of fossils and sometimes geographic evidence of prehistoric life. *** Paleopathology – the study of pathogenic conditions observable in bones or mummified soft tissue, and on nutritional disorders, variation in stature or morphology (biology), morphology of bones over time, evidence of physical trauma, or evidence of occupationally derived biomechanic stress. * Outline of genetics, Genetics – study of genes and heredity. ** Molecular genetics – study of the bimolecular mechanisms behind the structure and function of DNA ** Quantitative genetics – study of phenotypes that vary continuously (in characters such as height or mass)—as opposed to discretely identifiable phenotypes and gene-products (such as eye-colour, or the presence of a particular biochemical). * Marine biology – study of ocean ecosystems, plants, animals, and other living beings. * Microbiology – study of microscopic organisms (microorganisms) and their interactions with other living things. ** Bacteriology – study of bacteria ** Immunology – study of immune systems in all organisms. ** Mycology – study of fungi ** Parasitology – study of parasites and parasitism. ** Virology – study of viruses * Biochemistry ** Molecular biology – study of biology and biological functions at the molecular level, with some cross over from biochemistry. ** Structural biology – a branch of molecular biology, biochemistry, and biophysics concerned with the molecular structure of biological macromolecules. * Health sciences and human biology – biology of humans. ** Medicine – Diagnosis, treatment, and prevention of illness. *** Endocrinology – study of the endocrine system. *** Oncology – study of cancer processes, including virus or mutation, oncogenesis, angiogenesis, and tissues remoldings. *** Pharmacology – study of medication and drugs *** Epidemiology – major component of public health research, studying factors affecting the health of populations. * Neuroscience – study of the nervous system, including anatomy, physiology and emergent proprieties. ** Behavioral neuroscience – study of physiological, genetics, genetic, and Developmental biology, developmental mechanisms of behavior in humans and other animals. ** Cellular neuroscience – study of neurons at a cellular level. ** Cognitive neuroscience – study of biological substrates underlying cognition, with a focus on the neural substrates of mental processes. ** Computational neuroscience – study of the information processing functions of the nervous system, and the use of digital computers to study the nervous system. ** Developmental neuroscience – study of the cellular basis of brain development and addresses the underlying mechanisms. ** Molecular neuroscience – studies the biology of the nervous system with molecular biology, molecular genetics, protein chemistry and related methodologies. ** Neuroanatomy – study of the anatomy of nervous tissue and neural structures of the nervous system. ** Neuroendocrinology – studies the interaction between the nervous system and the endocrine system, that is how the brain regulates the hormonal activity in the body. ** Neuroethology – study of animal behavior and its underlying mechanistic control by the nervous system. ** Neuroimmunology – study of the nervous system, and immunology, the study of the immune system. ** Neuropharmacology – study of how drugs affect cellular function in the nervous system. ** Neurophysiology – study of the function (as opposed to structure) of the nervous system. ** Systems neuroscience – studies the function of neural circuits and systems. * Theoretical Biology – the mathematical modeling of biological phenomena. ** Systems biology – computational modeling of biological systems. * Zoology, – study of animals, including classification, physiology, development, and behavior. Subbranches include: ** Arthropodology – biological discipline concerned with the study of arthropods, a phylum of animals that include the insects, arachnids, crustaceans and others that are characterized by the possession of jointed limbs. *** Acarology – study of the taxon of arachnids that contains mites and ticks. *** Arachnology – scientific study of spiders and related animals such as scorpions, pseudoscorpions, harvestmen, collectively called arachnids. *** Entomology – study of insects. **** Coleopterology – study of beetles. **** Lepidopterology – study of a large order of insects that includes moths and butterflies (called lepidopterans). **** Myrmecology – scientific study of ants. *** Carcinology – study of crustaceans. *** Myriapodology – study of centipedes, millipedes, and other myriapods. ** Ethology, – scientific study of animal behavior, usually with a focus on behavior under natural conditions. ** Helminthology – study of worms, especially parasitic worms. ** Herpetology – study of amphibians (including frogs, toads, salamanders, newts, and gymnophiona) and reptiles (including snakes, lizards, amphisbaenids, turtles, terrapins, tortoises, crocodilians, and the tuataras). *** Batrachology – subdiscipline of herpetology concerned with the study of amphibians alone. ** Ichthyology – study of fishes. This includes bony fishes (Osteichthyes), cartilaginous fishes (Chondrichthyes), and jawless fishes (Agnatha). ** Malacology – branch of invertebrate zoology which deals with the study of the Mollusca (mollusks or molluscs), the second-largest phylum of animals in terms of described species after the arthropods. ***Teuthology – branch of Malacology which deals with the study of cephalopods. ** Mammalogy – study of mammals, a class of vertebrates with characteristics such as homeothermic metabolism, fur, four-chambered hearts, and complex nervous systems. Mammalogy has also been known as "mastology," "theriology," and "therology." There are about 4,200 different species of animals which are considered mammals. *** Cetology – branch of marine mammal science that studies the approximately eighty species of whales, dolphins, and porpoise in the scientific order Cetacea. *** Primatology – scientific study of primates *** Human biology – interdisciplinary field studying the range of humans and human populations via biology/life sciences, anthropology/social sciences, applied/medical sciences *** Biological anthropology – subfield of anthropology that studies the physical morphology, genetics and behavior of the human genus, other hominins and hominids across their evolutionary development **** Human behavioral ecology – the study of behavioral adaptations (foraging, reproduction, ontogeny) from the evolutionary and ecologic perspectives (see behavioral ecology). It focuses on human Adaptation, adaptive responses (physiological, developmental, genetic) to environmental stresses. ** Nematology – scientific discipline concerned with the study of nematodes, or roundworms. ** Ornithology – scientific study of birds. * Interdisciplinarity, Interdisciplinary fields ** Astrobiology – study of potential life outside of Earth. ** Bioarchaeology – study of human and animal remains from archaeological sites. ** Geobiology – study of the interactions between the physical Earth and the
biosphere The biosphere (), also called the ecosphere (), is the worldwide sum of all ecosystems. It can also be termed the zone of life on the Earth. The biosphere (which is technically a spherical shell) is virtually a closed system with regard to mat ...
. ** Biolinguistics – biological study of language. ** Biological anthropology – study of the development of the human species.


Biologists

; Lists of notable biologists * List of biologists, List of notable biologists * Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, List of Nobel Prize winners in physiology or medicine * Lists of biologists by author abbreviation ** List of authors of names published under the ICZN ; Lists of biologists by subject * List of biochemists * List of ecologists * List of neuroscientists * List of physiologists


See also

* Bibliography of biology * Earliest known life forms * Invasion biology terminology * List of omics topics in biology Related outlines * Outline of life forms * Outline of zoology * Outline of engineering * Outline of technology * List of social sciences Journals * :Biology journals, Biology journals


References


External links


OSU's Phylocode
A multi-authored, distributed Internet project containing information about phylogeny and biodiversity.
MIT video lecture series on biologyA wiki site for protocol sharing run from MIT

Biology and Bioethics

Biology online wiki dictionary

Biology Video Sharing Community

What is Biotechnology
: a voluntary program as Biotech for Beginners. {{DEFAULTSORT:Biology Outlines of sciences, Biology Outlines, Biology Biology-related lists,