Sign in or 
Share this
Chapter I. Nature and Scope of Biology
Unit 1. The Living World. Chapter I. Nature and Scope of Biology Human beings are distinctly different from other living organisms. Curiosity is one of the important features of the many organisms. Curiosity of human beings is somewhat different from that of other living organisms. Human curiosity makes man very distinct and unique. It is found that the scientific extension of human curiosity have resulted in the development of science of Biology. Biology: The Science of Life. Biology (Bios: life; logos: to discourse) is the science that deals with the study of living organisms. The living organisms include plants, animals and microorganisms. The term biology is derived from the Greek word ‘bios’ meaning life and ‘logos’ a study. Aristotle is regarded as the ‘ Father of Biology’. French Naturalist Lamarck and Treviranus gave the term biology in 1801. Biology has divided into Botany (plants) and Zoology (animals). Theophrastus is known as father of Botany and Aristotle is called father of zoology. A scientific approach should be essential for the analysis of the facts of biology. Therefore, it is very essential that students of biology should know the basic nature of science. Now days the term ‘life science’ is often used instead of the term Biology. Nature and methods of science The word science is derived from the Latin word ‘ Scientia’ which means ‘to know’. It is used to answer questions about the nature. Usually a biology scientist determines principles based on specific observations. Charles Robert Darwin (1809-1882) was the early scientist who made various observations. He noticed the variations among naturally occurring plants and animals. At the same time he also observed variations among his domesticated animals. By combining his observations he put forward the theory of Natural selection. Based on clear evidences he suggested that organisms change over time. This theory explains the mechanism of evolution.
Scientific Method To understand the basic nature of science, a scientific bent of mind is essential. Towards any problem a scientific approach is necessary to arrive at an inference. For example, take a simple problem that your torch is not working. What is its reason? It may be due to (i) dead batteries (ii) burnt out bulb and (iii) switch is out of order. How will you act to solve the problem? The problem can be solved by following a sequence of steps. In this case you should formulate a hypothesis or provisional explanation based on some reasonable variables. Here the three variables are, problem with batteries or bulb or switch. In the next step you should test the hypothesis for the non-functioning of the torch. Finally you will get an inference about the exact problem with the torch. In this way the fault of the torch can corrected. This type of a methodical enquiry forms the basis of scientific approach. Steps involved in Scientific Method Important steps involved in the scientific method for gathering information are the following (i) Observation (ii) Formulation of Hypothesis (iii) Testing of Hypothesis and (iv) Developing theory. 1. Observation Observation is the ability to notice something. Using our sense organs we can observe. i.e. We see, feel, smell, taste and touch things in the living world. In addition by using scientific equipments such as microscopes, chemical analyzers or radiation detectors we can extend our observations. Microscopes help to observe small objects. Binoculars and telescopes help us to observe distant objects. In this way many information can be gathered by observation for scientific studies. Criteria of Observation : Observation may be direct or indirect. For example, gravitational or magenetic forces cannot be observed directly. Hence, a scientific investigator must be clear about what is to be observed. a. He needs to select the observation that raises questions like ‘what’, ‘why’, or ‘how’.(defining a problem). b. Information regarding the problem should be collected from scientific records such as books, journals etc. to ascertain what is already known about the particular problem at hand, c. All data of observations should be kept intact. Any one of these data might be useful in answering the present or future questions. 2. Formulation of Hypothesis Hypothesis is the proposed solution for a problem, predicted on the basis of available information and observation. A good hypothesis is simple and can be tested. After testing , the hypothesis might stand true or false. 3. Testing of Hypothesis We should test the validity of the hypothesis. For that we must develop devices to test the hypothesis. Various steps for testing the hypothesis are: a. Carry out an experiment fro testing one or more hypothesis. b. Based on the result of the experiment eliminate or confirm one or more hypotheses. c. After eliminating one or more hypotheses, formulate predictions based on the remaining ones. d. If necessary, further experiments should be, carried out to test the predictions. e. In this way, the most unlikely hypotheses are, rejected and likely ones are, selected. 4. Developing Theory. Some experiments lead to theory. Theory is a hypothesis that survives repeated experiments over a period of time. Theories are formulated based on the results of repeated experiments. Not all experiments may lead to theories. Some theories comprise broadly written statements Ex. Robert Hooke discovered cell in 1665 but Matthias Schleiden formulated the cell theory in 1838. Any scientific findings should be published in concerned Scientific Magazines and Scientific Journals. It helps in the spreading of knowledge to the world communities. It also helps for further investigation and enrichment of scientific knowledge.
What do biologists study? Biology is the science of living things. Traditionally biology has been divided into two major branches - Botany and Zoology. Botany deals with the study opf plant life and Zoology deals with the study of animal life. Since modern biology is a vast subject, it is divided into many branches. a. Taxonomy - Or Systematics is a broad branch of Biology, which deals with the identification, nomenclature and classification of organisms. Iderntification is to determine the exact position of an organism in the set plan of classification. Classification is the system of arrangement of oraganism into groups showing relationships. Nomenclature is the process of giving scientific names to plants and animals. b. Morphology - it is the study of form and structure of organisms. It is further divided into (i) external morphology and (ii) internal morphology. i. External Morphology: is the study of external characters of an organism. ii. Internal Morphology: is the study of internal structures of an organism. It includes- a. Anatomy:- is the study of internal structure of plants and animals. b. Histology:- is the study of tissues of plants and animals. c. Genetics - is the science of heredity and variations. It deals with the mechanism of inheritance and maintenance of hereditary characters. It also deals with the study of genes. d. Evolution - deals with study of understanding the origin of life and process of gradual transformation of simple life forms to complex to specialized forms. e. Paleobiology - deals with the origin, structure and growth of organisms of the past based on fossils. Fossils are preserved remains, tracks or traces of organism that lived in the past. Fossils are present in the layers of sedimentary rocks. f. Ecology - is the study of relationship of organisms to their physical environment in which they are living and to one another. Autecology refers to the ecological study of an individual organism or a single species. Synecology refers to the ecological studies of groups of organism. g. Marine Biology - refers to the study of ocean plants and animals. It also includes the ecological relationship among marine organisms. h. Physiology - deals with the study of various processes and functions of organisms. It helps to understand the normal functioning of organisms by which life is maintained. It includes vital activities such as feeding, digestion, excretion, respiration, photosynthesis, transpiration etc. i. Cytology (Cell Biology) – is the study of the structure and functions of cells. The organization and functions of individual cells are studied in cell biology. j. Biophysics – is the application of different tools, techniques, methods and principles of physical science to study the problems of biology. It helps to determine the structure of molecules in plants and animals. k. Molecular Biology – deals with the study of molecular organization of cells. W T Astbury (1950), the British scientist first used and defined the term molecular biology. l. Biochemistry – deals with chemistry of biological systems and processes. It is an interdisciplinary science of organic chemistry and Biology. It is also known as physiological chemistry and Biological chemistry. m. Exobiology – deals with the scientific enquiry regarding the possible existence of life in the outer space. n. Microbiology – deals with the study of microscopic organisms including protozoans, algae, fungi, bacteria, viruses, etc. o. Embryology – deals with the study of embryonic development of organisms. Scope of Biology Biology has great scope because it is associated with our daily lives and our future. Many biologists are working on problems of life and health. The main problems are cancer, food production, poverty, population explosion, AIDS, global warming, etc. Biology offers a large scope and provides a large field for study. 1. Biology and inter-relationship of living beings: Study of biology helps us in understanding the wonderful laws of nature, which finally tell us to predict the behavior of different living beings under changed conditions. 2. Biology & resources: Biology helps us to know how to tap and conserve the resources available to us e.g., fishes, birds, forests etc. 3. Biology & Literature: Knowledge of Natural Biology has greatly enriched the literature with their references in stories etc. Poets and other authors have been inspired by the beautiful and interesting plants and animals and frequently figure them in stories, poems and drams. 4. Study of Nature is a rewarding experience: The ornamental plants add to the beautification of gardens, houses and offices. The variety available in animals is widely enjoyed in zoological parks. Biology helps in observing the enormous diversity of life. 5. Biology helps us to meet food demands: We are totally dependent on plants and animals for obtaining our food. Plants not only provide us food but also purify our atmosphere by consuming CO2 and releasing O2. Similarly animals and microorganisms provide us various forms of food and fermented products eg. Curd, cheese, butter, meat, eggs, mushrooms etc. 6. Biology & Medicine; Several plants like Atropa belladonna, Cinchona are sources of atropine, quinine etc. Many members of fungi such as Penicillium and Streptomyces give rise to antibiotics like penicillin and streptomycin. Plants are the major source of vitamins. Drugs are first tested on animals before being used for treating man. Animals provide scientific hints for the production and use of medicines. Animals are widely used for scientific research and result thus obtained is finally applied to man. The study of animals plays an important role in health, nutrition, and control of pests. Many diseases like malaria are caused and transmitted by animals. 7. Biotechnology: Biotechnologists have produced many genetically modified crops. Biotechnology is also concerned with gene transplant, gene therapy, and production of new drugs, vaccination and detection and cure of genetic diseases. 8. Hereditary diseases: A biologists can understand the cause of many hereditary diseases and genetic disorders. With this basic knowledge, one can offer services to human causes by way of genetic counseling. 9. Protection of environment: - Applied Ecology deals with the studies on management and conservation of nature and its resources. It warns us about the possible environmental hazards caused by mismanagement and our activities. The human activities which are hazardous to the environment are i) indiscriminate use of pesticides and other toxic chemicals, ii) use of chemical fertilizers, iii) Deforestation, iv) Discharge of non-degradable pollutants like mercury, lead, aluminium cans, plastics, DDT, etc.
Branches of Biology
Botany is the study of plants.
Scientific Method To understand the basic nature of science, a scientific bent of mind is essential. Towards any problem a scientific approach is necessary to arrive at an inference. For example, take a simple problem that your torch is not working. What is its reason? It may be due to (i) dead batteries (ii) burnt out bulb and (iii) switch is out of order. How will you act to solve the problem? The problem can be solved by following a sequence of steps. In this case you should formulate a hypothesis or provisional explanation based on some reasonable variables. Here the three variables are, problem with batteries or bulb or switch. In the next step you should test the hypothesis for the non-functioning of the torch. Finally you will get an inference about the exact problem with the torch. In this way the fault of the torch can corrected. This type of a methodical enquiry forms the basis of scientific approach. Steps involved in Scientific Method Important steps involved in the scientific method for gathering information are the following (i) Observation (ii) Formulation of Hypothesis (iii) Testing of Hypothesis and (iv) Developing theory. 1. Observation Observation is the ability to notice something. Using our sense organs we can observe. i.e. We see, feel, smell, taste and touch things in the living world. In addition by using scientific equipments such as microscopes, chemical analyzers or radiation detectors we can extend our observations. Microscopes help to observe small objects. Binoculars and telescopes help us to observe distant objects. In this way many information can be gathered by observation for scientific studies. Criteria of Observation : Observation may be direct or indirect. For example, gravitational or magenetic forces cannot be observed directly. Hence, a scientific investigator must be clear about what is to be observed. a. He needs to select the observation that raises questions like ‘what’, ‘why’, or ‘how’.(defining a problem). b. Information regarding the problem should be collected from scientific records such as books, journals etc. to ascertain what is already known about the particular problem at hand, c. All data of observations should be kept intact. Any one of these data might be useful in answering the present or future questions. 2. Formulation of Hypothesis Hypothesis is the proposed solution for a problem, predicted on the basis of available information and observation. A good hypothesis is simple and can be tested. After testing , the hypothesis might stand true or false. 3. Testing of Hypothesis We should test the validity of the hypothesis. For that we must develop devices to test the hypothesis. Various steps for testing the hypothesis are: a. Carry out an experiment fro testing one or more hypothesis. b. Based on the result of the experiment eliminate or confirm one or more hypotheses. c. After eliminating one or more hypotheses, formulate predictions based on the remaining ones. d. If necessary, further experiments should be, carried out to test the predictions. e. In this way, the most unlikely hypotheses are, rejected and likely ones are, selected. 4. Developing Theory. Some experiments lead to theory. Theory is a hypothesis that survives repeated experiments over a period of time. Theories are formulated based on the results of repeated experiments. Not all experiments may lead to theories. Some theories comprise broadly written statements Ex. Robert Hooke discovered cell in 1665 but Matthias Schleiden formulated the cell theory in 1838. Any scientific findings should be published in concerned Scientific Magazines and Scientific Journals. It helps in the spreading of knowledge to the world communities. It also helps for further investigation and enrichment of scientific knowledge.
What do biologists study? Biology is the science of living things. Traditionally biology has been divided into two major branches - Botany and Zoology. Botany deals with the study opf plant life and Zoology deals with the study of animal life. Since modern biology is a vast subject, it is divided into many branches. a. Taxonomy - Or Systematics is a broad branch of Biology, which deals with the identification, nomenclature and classification of organisms. Iderntification is to determine the exact position of an organism in the set plan of classification. Classification is the system of arrangement of oraganism into groups showing relationships. Nomenclature is the process of giving scientific names to plants and animals. b. Morphology - it is the study of form and structure of organisms. It is further divided into (i) external morphology and (ii) internal morphology. i. External Morphology: is the study of external characters of an organism. ii. Internal Morphology: is the study of internal structures of an organism. It includes- a. Anatomy:- is the study of internal structure of plants and animals. b. Histology:- is the study of tissues of plants and animals. c. Genetics - is the science of heredity and variations. It deals with the mechanism of inheritance and maintenance of hereditary characters. It also deals with the study of genes. d. Evolution - deals with study of understanding the origin of life and process of gradual transformation of simple life forms to complex to specialized forms. e. Paleobiology - deals with the origin, structure and growth of organisms of the past based on fossils. Fossils are preserved remains, tracks or traces of organism that lived in the past. Fossils are present in the layers of sedimentary rocks. f. Ecology - is the study of relationship of organisms to their physical environment in which they are living and to one another. Autecology refers to the ecological study of an individual organism or a single species. Synecology refers to the ecological studies of groups of organism. g. Marine Biology - refers to the study of ocean plants and animals. It also includes the ecological relationship among marine organisms. h. Physiology - deals with the study of various processes and functions of organisms. It helps to understand the normal functioning of organisms by which life is maintained. It includes vital activities such as feeding, digestion, excretion, respiration, photosynthesis, transpiration etc. i. Cytology (Cell Biology) – is the study of the structure and functions of cells. The organization and functions of individual cells are studied in cell biology. j. Biophysics – is the application of different tools, techniques, methods and principles of physical science to study the problems of biology. It helps to determine the structure of molecules in plants and animals. k. Molecular Biology – deals with the study of molecular organization of cells. W T Astbury (1950), the British scientist first used and defined the term molecular biology. l. Biochemistry – deals with chemistry of biological systems and processes. It is an interdisciplinary science of organic chemistry and Biology. It is also known as physiological chemistry and Biological chemistry. m. Exobiology – deals with the scientific enquiry regarding the possible existence of life in the outer space. n. Microbiology – deals with the study of microscopic organisms including protozoans, algae, fungi, bacteria, viruses, etc. o. Embryology – deals with the study of embryonic development of organisms. Scope of Biology Biology has great scope because it is associated with our daily lives and our future. Many biologists are working on problems of life and health. The main problems are cancer, food production, poverty, population explosion, AIDS, global warming, etc. Biology offers a large scope and provides a large field for study. 1. Biology and inter-relationship of living beings: Study of biology helps us in understanding the wonderful laws of nature, which finally tell us to predict the behavior of different living beings under changed conditions. 2. Biology & resources: Biology helps us to know how to tap and conserve the resources available to us e.g., fishes, birds, forests etc. 3. Biology & Literature: Knowledge of Natural Biology has greatly enriched the literature with their references in stories etc. Poets and other authors have been inspired by the beautiful and interesting plants and animals and frequently figure them in stories, poems and drams. 4. Study of Nature is a rewarding experience: The ornamental plants add to the beautification of gardens, houses and offices. The variety available in animals is widely enjoyed in zoological parks. Biology helps in observing the enormous diversity of life. 5. Biology helps us to meet food demands: We are totally dependent on plants and animals for obtaining our food. Plants not only provide us food but also purify our atmosphere by consuming CO2 and releasing O2. Similarly animals and microorganisms provide us various forms of food and fermented products eg. Curd, cheese, butter, meat, eggs, mushrooms etc. 6. Biology & Medicine; Several plants like Atropa belladonna, Cinchona are sources of atropine, quinine etc. Many members of fungi such as Penicillium and Streptomyces give rise to antibiotics like penicillin and streptomycin. Plants are the major source of vitamins. Drugs are first tested on animals before being used for treating man. Animals provide scientific hints for the production and use of medicines. Animals are widely used for scientific research and result thus obtained is finally applied to man. The study of animals plays an important role in health, nutrition, and control of pests. Many diseases like malaria are caused and transmitted by animals. 7. Biotechnology: Biotechnologists have produced many genetically modified crops. Biotechnology is also concerned with gene transplant, gene therapy, and production of new drugs, vaccination and detection and cure of genetic diseases. 8. Hereditary diseases: A biologists can understand the cause of many hereditary diseases and genetic disorders. With this basic knowledge, one can offer services to human causes by way of genetic counseling. 9. Protection of environment: - Applied Ecology deals with the studies on management and conservation of nature and its resources. It warns us about the possible environmental hazards caused by mismanagement and our activities. The human activities which are hazardous to the environment are i) indiscriminate use of pesticides and other toxic chemicals, ii) use of chemical fertilizers, iii) Deforestation, iv) Discharge of non-degradable pollutants like mercury, lead, aluminium cans, plastics, DDT, etc.
Branches of Biology
The most common branches of biology are as a follows:
Botany is the study of plants.
Genetics is the study of genes.
Zoology is the study of animals. This is fun isn't it?
Ecology is the study of plants and animals in relation to their total environment.
Anatomy is the study of the structure of living organisms
Physiology is the study of internal processes and functions associated with life.
I hope you are having as much fun as I am!!
Biochemistry is the study of the chemistry of living things.
Cytology is the study of cells.
Evolution is the study of of the ways in which present-day organisms have been produced.
Taxonomy is the study of how organisms are classified.
Microbiology is the branch of biology dealing with the structure, function, uses, and modes of existence of microscopic organisms
Otolaryngologistsis the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, function, and diseases of the ear, nose, and throat
Microbiology is the branch of biology dealing with the structure, function, uses, and modes of existence of microscopic organisms
Otolaryngologistsis the branch of medicine that deals with the anatomy, function, and diseases of the ear, nose, and throat
tjvirar |
Latest page update: made by tjvirar
, Sep 14 2008, 8:02 AM EDT
(about this update
About This Update
Edited by tjvirar
164 words added 1 image added view changes - complete history) |
|
Keyword tags:
None
More Info: links to this page
|
There are no threads for this page.
Be the first to start a new thread.
|
NATURE AND SCOPE OF BIOLOGY.pdf (Adobe Portable Document Format - 140k)
posted by tjvirar Jul 30 2008, 12:39 PM EDT
This attachment has no description.
|
