BIOLOGY AND LIVING THINGS
BIOLOGY AS AN INQUIRY IN SCIENCE
Science is the study of nature (living and non-living things). Biology is a science that studies living things in nature. Biology was formed from the Greek words “Bio” (meaning life) and “logos” (meaning, study of).
Table of Contents
The organisms studied in biology are generally classified into plants and animals. Therefore, biology is a science subject that can be subdivided into two main branches or subjects namely:
- Botany –the study of
- Zoology – the study of animals.
Other branches of biology include zoology, botany, microbiology, parasitology, anatomy, physiology, biotechnology, etc.
RELEVANCE OF BIOLOGY
Biology has found great applications in many areas of human life, some of which include:
- Medicine: Production of drugs and vaccines for preventing and curing many diseases e.g. penicillin, organ transplant e.g. kidney (renal) transplant, in-vitro fertilization in infertile couples.
- Agriculture: Production of hybrid (crops and animals with desired qualities), use of biological pestic.ides to control agricultural pests
- Bioremediation i.e. use of naturally occurring bacteria to clean up oil spills and toxic
- Biotechnology: Use of genetic engineering to fight genetic diseases.
- Food production: Production of single cell protein (SCP) to reduce protein deficiency problem, food storage and preservation
EVALUATION
- What is Biology
- Describe the following branches of Biology (a) parasitology (b) anatomy (c)
See also
FACTORS AFFECTING TRANSPIRATION