1.1 - Fields and Careers in Biology

Biology is the study of living things and their interactions with the environment. This includes the understanding of the structures and functions of the living organisms. The word Biology is derived from the Greek words bios and logos.

Figure 1 - The fields of biology can be further divided into many branches. Some of the examples include botany (study of plants), physiology (study of the functions and living processes of living organisms), microbiology (study of microorganisms) and genetics (study of the genes, variation and traits in organisms).

Contribution of Biology

The knowledge of biology has contributed enormously to us humans in terms of medical, pharmaceutical, food production as well as agriculture. One fine example is the discovery of yeast for fermentation. It has become one of the most important ingredients in baking.

Careers in Biology

With a Biology degree, a person can seek a wide range of career opportunities of different specializations, which include biologist, ecologist, research scientist, biotechnologist, educator and many others.