Biology

How do plants feed themselves? How did dogs evolve from wolves? What good is the appendix in humans, anyway? Such questions fall within the domain of biology, which seeks to understand living organisms and their vital processes (although the jury’s still out on what our appendixes are for). Biology’s diverse fields include botany, ecology, evolution, genetics, medicine, physiology, and zoology.
Browse Subcategories

Biology Encyclopedia Articles

Featured Articles

marine biology
Marine biology, the science that deals with animals and plants that live in the sea. It also deals with airborne and terrestrial organisms that depend directly upon bodies of salt water for food and other...
biological development
Biological development, the progressive changes in size, shape, and function during the life of an organism by which its genetic potentials (genotype) are translated into functioning mature systems (phenotype)....
taxonomy
Taxonomy, in a broad sense the science of classification, but more strictly the classification of living and extinct organisms—i.e., biological classification. The term is derived from the Greek taxis...
genetics
Genetics, study of heredity in general and of genes in particular. Genetics forms one of the central pillars of biology and overlaps with many other areas, such as agriculture, medicine, and biotechnology....
chordate
Chordate, any member of the phylum Chordata, which includes the vertebrates (subphylum Vertebrata), the most highly evolved animals, as well as two other subphyla—the tunicates (subphylum Tunicata) and...
animal social behaviour
Animal social behaviour, the suite of interactions that occur between two or more individual animals, usually of the same species, when they form simple aggregations, cooperate in sexual or parental behaviour,...
animal
Animal, (kingdom Animalia), any of a group of multicellular eukaryotic organisms (i.e., as distinct from bacteria, their deoxyribonucleic acid, or DNA, is contained in a membrane-bound nucleus). They are...
life
Life, living matter and, as such, matter that shows certain attributes that include responsiveness, growth, metabolism, energy transformation, and reproduction. Although a noun, as with other defined entities,...
microbiology
Microbiology, study of microorganisms, or microbes, a diverse group of generally minute simple life-forms that include bacteria, archaea, algae, fungi, protozoa, and viruses. The field is concerned with...
zoology
Zoology, branch of biology that studies the members of the animal kingdom and animal life in general. It includes both the inquiry into individual animals and their constituent parts, even to the molecular...
molecular biology
Molecular biology, field of science concerned with studying the chemical structures and processes of biological phenomena that involve the basic units of life, molecules. The field of molecular biology...

Biology Subcategories

François Jacob, 1965. Archaea & Bacteria
Even if you can't see them, that doesn't mean they're not there! Prokaryotes are one good example of why you can't always trust the naked eye to show you everything that's going on around you. Prokaryotes are single-celled organisms that can't be seen without the use of a microscope. Prokaryotic organisms fall into one of two groups: bacteria and archaea. Despite bacteria’s bad reputation as the cause of diseases in humans, animals, or plants, most bacteria are harmless, and they function as beneficial ecological agents. Archaea, too, fulfill important ecological roles in cold and temperate ecosystems. Without archaea and bacteria, our lives would be much more difficult: soil would not be fertile, and our ability to prepare certain foods, chemicals, and antibiotics would be hindered, among other difficulties.
Articles
animal taxonomy Branches of Biology
The field of biology is subdivided into separate branches for convenience of study, though all the subdivisions share basic principles. Biology encompasses fields such as botany, genetics, marine biology, microbiology, molecular biology, and much more.
Articles
vertebrate: skeleton Cells, Organs & Tissues
Even if you feel you have nothing in common with a stinkbug or a ficus, you're guaranteed to share one crucial aspect of life with these beings: you are all made up of cells, the fundamental molecules of life, of which all living things are composed. As an individual unit, the cell is capable of metabolizing its own nutrients, synthesizing many types of molecules, providing its own energy, and replicating itself. In a multicellular organism, cooperative assemblies of similar cells form tissues, and a cooperation between tissues in turn forms organs, which carry out the functions necessary to sustain the life of an organism.
Articles
subcategory placeholder Evolution, Heredity & Genetics
Earth has housed a vast variety of plants, animals, and other living things throughout the history of its existence, and many living things have changed in discernible ways over the years. The theory of evolution, one of the fundamental keystones of modern biological theory, examines the way in which such changes unfold. Heredity describes the biological processes by which certain characteristics are transmitted from parents to their offspring. Genetics studies heredity in general and genes in particular.
Articles
subcategory placeholder Fungi, Protists & Viruses
Fungi, protists, and viruses may not be the most cuddly of organisms, but they’re no less worth studying for it. Fungi, whose ranks include yeasts, rusts, molds, and mushrooms, are among the most widely distributed organisms on Earth. Protists such as algae and protozoans are microscopic eukaryotic organisms. Viruses are infectious agents of small size and simple composition that can multiply only in living cells of animals, plants, or bacteria.
Articles
primates Life Cycle, Processes & Properties
None of us are born looking exactly the way that we do today; this is because humans, like other species, undergo a series of changes as they mature and age, in accordance with their biological life cycle. This process can look very different across different species. In many simple organisms and in higher animals, the life cycle is completed within a single generation, while in most plants, the life cycle is multigenerational.
Articles
Rachel Carson Biologists
Articles
Britannica Premium
Did you know you're not getting the full Britannica experience? Access unlimited content with none of the ads by becoming a Britannica Premium subscriber.

Biology Encyclopedia Articles