Definition
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, origin, evolution, and distribution of life. Central to biology are five fundamental themes: the cell as the basic unit of life, genes and heredity as the basis of inheritance, evolution as the driver of biological diversity, energy transformation for sustaining life processes, and homeostasis, the maintenance of internal stability.
Related concepts
AbiogenesisAdaptationAdenosine triphosphateAerobiologyAgricultural scienceAgricultureAgronomyAgrostologyAl-DīnawarīAl-JahizAlexander von HumboldtAlfred HersheyAlfred Russel WallaceAlgaAltricialAmerican Association for the Advancement of ScienceAmerican Biology TeacherAmino acidAnatomyAncient EgyptAncient GreeceAnimalAnimalsAnthropologyAnton van LeeuwenhoekArchaeaAristotleAstrobiologyAtmosphere of EarthAtomBachelor of ScienceBacteriaBacteriologyBibliography of biologyBinomial nomenclatureBiochemistryBiocoenosisBiodiversityBiodiversity lossBioenergeticsBiogeochemical cycleBiogeographyBiogeologyBioinformaticsBiological (disambiguation)Biological diversityBiological engineeringBiological interactionBiological organisationBiological researchBiological systemBiologistBiology (disambiguation)Biology LettersBiology in fictionBiomassBiomeBiomechanicsBiomedical sciencesBiomoleculeBiophysicsBiosemioticsBiosphereBiostatisticsBiotechnologyBotanyBoveri–Sutton chromosome theoryBreathingCalculusCarbohydrateCarl LinnaeusCell (biology)Cell biologyCell cycleCell signalingCell theoryCellular microbiologyCellular respirationCentral dogma of molecular biologyCephalopodCharles DarwinCharles LyellChemical biologyChemical bondChemical elementChemical processChromosomeChronobiologyCirculatory systemClassical geneticsClimateClimate changeCloudCo-operation (evolution)CodonCognitive biologyCommon EraCommon descentCommon nameCommunity (ecology)Comparative biologyComputational biologyConservation biologyCryobiologyCurrent BiologyCytogeneticsDNADNA replicationDarwinismDeep homologyDendrologyDevelopmental biologyDissectionDiversity of lifeDomain (biology)Drosophila melanogasterDysgenicsEarliest known life formsEarly EarthEarthEarth scienceEcological geneticsEcological nicheEcologyEcosystemEcosystem ecologyEcosystemsEmbryogenesisEmbryologyEmergenceEncyclopedia of the History of Arabic ScienceEncyclopædia Britannica Eleventh EditionEndocrine systemEnergyEntomologyEnvironmental scienceEnzymeEpidemiologyEpidermis (botany)EpigeneticsEthnobotanyEugenicsEukaryoteEvo-devo gene toolkitEvolutionEvolution of ageingEvolution of sexual reproductionEvolutionary biologyEvolutionary developmental biologyEvolvabilityExtinctionFaunaFermentationField (physics)FloraFlowerFrancis CrickFrancis DarwinFreshwater biologyFunction (biology)FungiFungusFuture of EarthGaia hypothesisGeneGene expressionGene flowGenerative biologyGenetic codeGenetic driftGeneticsGenomeGenomicsGeobiologyGeological history of EarthGeologyGeorges-Louis Leclerc, Comte de BuffonGerd B. MüllerGerm theory of diseaseGerontologyGlossary of biologyGottfried Reinhold TreviranusGreat chain of beingGreek languageGregor MendelGround tissueHabitatHabitatsHar Gobind KhoranaHealth technologyHeredityHerpetologyHershey–Chase experimentHistologyHistory of EarthHistory of RNA biologyHistory of agricultural scienceHistory of anatomyHistory of biochemistryHistory of biologyHistory of biotechnologyHistory of botanyHistory of ecologyHistory of evolutionary thoughtHistory of geneticsHistory of geologyHistory of lifeHistory of medicineHistory of model organismsHistory of molecular biologyHistory of molecular evolutionHistory of paleontologyHistory of phycologyHistory of plant systematicsHistory of scienceHistory of the creation–evolution controversyHistory of zoology since 1859History of zoology through 1859HomeostasisHomeotic geneHugh ChisholmHuman Genome ProjectHuman biologyHuman digestive systemHuman evolutionHumboldtian scienceIchthyologyImmune systemImmunologyImpact factorIn silicoIn vitroIn vivoIndex of biology articlesInfusoriaInsectInterdisciplinaryInternal environmentInternal structure of EarthInternational Journal of Biological SciencesIntroduction to evolutionIntroduction to geneticsJames WatsonJan SappJan SwammerdamJean-Baptiste LamarckKarl Friedrich BurdachKarolinska InstitutetKingdom (biology)LamarckismLeafLifeLipidLipidologyList of biological websitesList of biologistsList of biology awardsList of biology disciplinesList of biology journalsList of biology topicsList of conservation topicsList of geneticists and biochemistsList of life sciencesList of publications in biologyList of research methods in biologyList of unsolved problems in biologyMacroevolutionMacromoleculeMammalogyMarine biologyMarshall Warren NirenbergMartha ChaseMathematical and theoretical biologyMathematical modelingMatterMatthias Jakob SchleidenMechanical philosophyMedicineMeiosisMendelian inheritanceMesopotamiaMetabolismMeteorologyMichael Christoph HanowMicrobiologyMicrobiomeMicroevolutionMicroscopeMiller–Urey experimentMitosisModern synthesis (20th century)Molecular BiologyMolecular biologyMolecular geneticsMoleculeMonomerMoonlightMuscular systemMutationMycologyNatural environmentNatural historyNatural philosophyNatural scienceNatural selectionNatural theologyNatureNature-based solutionsNeontologyNervous systemNeuroscienceNobel Prize in Physiology or MedicineNucleic acidNutritional scienceOceanOmne vivum ex ovoOn the Origin of SpeciesOne gene–one enzyme hypothesisOrgan (biology)OrganelleOrganic compoundOrganismOriginal researchOrnithologyOsteologyOutline of Earth sciencesOutline of biologyOutline of natural scienceOutline of physical scienceOutline of space scienceOxford English DictionaryPHPLOS BiologyPNASPaleontologyParasitologyParticlePathologyPeer-reviewPeer reviewPerspectives in Biology and MedicinePharmacologyPharming (genetics)Philosophy of biologyPhloemPhotobiologyPhotosynthesisPhycologyPhylogeneticPhylogenetic treePhylogeneticsPhysical anthropologyPhysicianPhysiologyPlantPlant stemPlantsPlate tectonicsPolymerPomologyPopulation (biology)Population ecologyPopulation geneticsPost-transcriptional modificationPrecocialPrimatologyProkaryoteProteinProtein biosynthesisProteomicsProtistProtistologyProtistsProto-Indo-European languageProtocellPublic Library of SciencePublic domainPunnett squareQuantum biologyRNARNA worldRadiationRainRecombinant DNAReductionismRegulation of gene expressionRelational biologyRelationship between religion and scienceReproductionReproductive biologyReproductive systemResource (biology)Respiratory systemRobert RemakRobert W. HolleyRootRoutledgeRoyal SocietyRudolf VirchowScholarly methodScienceScience (journal)Science in the medieval Islamic worldScientific lawScientific methodScientific studyScientific theorySean B. CarrollSelf-replicationSequence hypothesisSex linkageShoot (botany)SnowSociobiologySpaceSpatial biologySpeciationSpeciesSpermatozoaSpontaneous generationSpringer-VerlagStainingStephen Jay GouldStimulus (physiology)Structural biologyStructureStructure of DNASunlightSustainabilitySynthetic biologySystematicsSystems biologyTaxonomic rankTaxonomyTaxonomy (biology)Teleology in biologyTeratologyTheodor SchwannTheodosius DobzhanskyTheophrastusThomas BeddoesThomas Hunt MorganThomas MalthusTideTimeTimeline of biology and organic chemistryTimeline of immunologyTinbergen's four questionsTissue (biology)TornadoToxicologyTranscription (biology)Translation (biology)Tropical cycloneUniverseUterusVascular plantVascular tissueVertebrateVirologyVirophysicsVirusWaterWeatherWelfare biologyWildernessWildfireWindXenobiologyXylemZoology
143 concepts already in your glossary