History of formation and development
The term “biology” was introduced into science by the French biologist J.-B. Lamarck.
Man has long lived, since prehistoric times, next to living beings. She became even more familiar with them when she began cultivating plants and domesticating animals. As the flora and fauna were explored, human knowledge developed and deepened. From storied and often inaccurate ideas about nature, more definite and accurate knowledge was gradually formed. Monuments of ancient cultures - Chinese, Indian, Asir-Babylonian, Egyptian, Greek - indicate that, long before the beginning of our era, significant empirical material had been accumulated in the field of biology. Along with practical issues important for agriculture and medicine, ancient natural philosophers (Heraclitus, Democritus, Hippocrates, etc.) tried to solve a number of general biological issues, in particular issues related to the origin and evolution of living beings. The works of Aristotle (384-322 BC) were important for the development of biology.
The first systematic attempts to understand living nature were made by ancient doctors and philosophers (Hippocrates, Aristotle, Theophrastus, Galen). Their work, continued during the Renaissance, laid the foundation for botany and zoology, as well as human anatomy and physiology (Vesalius and others). In the 17th and 18th centuries, experimental methods penetrated biology. Based on quantitative measurements and the application of the laws of hydraulics, the mechanism of blood circulation was discovered (William Harvey, 1628). The invention of the microscope pushed the boundaries known world living beings, deepened the understanding of their structure. One of the main achievements of this era was the creation of a system of classification of plants and animals (Carl Linnaeus, 1735). At the same time, speculative theories about the development and properties of living beings (spontaneous generation, preformation, etc.) prevailed.
In the 19th century, as a result of a sharp increase in the amount of biological research (new methods, expeditions to tropical and inaccessible areas of the Earth, etc.), accumulation and differentiation of knowledge, many special biological sciences were formed. Thus, in botany and zoology, sections appear that study individual systematic groups, embryology, histology, microbiology, paleontology, biogeography, etc. develop. Among the achievements of biology are the cell theory (T. Schwann, 1839), the discovery of the laws of heredity (Gregor Mendel, 1865). The evolutionary teachings of Charles Darwin (1859) led to fundamental changes in biology.
Biology of the 20th century is characterized by two interrelated trends. On the one hand, an idea has formed about qualitatively different levels of organization of living nature: molecular (molecular biology, biochemistry and other sciences, which are united by the concept of physicochemical biology), cellular (cellular biology), level of organisms (anatomy, physiology, embryology), population -species (ecology, biogeography). On the other hand, the desire for a holistic, synthetic knowledge of living nature has led to the progress of sciences that study certain properties of living nature at all structural levels of its organization (genetics, systematics, evolutionary teaching, etc.). Molecular biology has made amazing strides since the 1950s, revealing chemical bases heredity (DNA structure, genetic code, matrix principle of biopolymer synthesis). The doctrine of the biosphere (V.I. Vernadsky) revealed the scale of the geochemical activity of living organisms and their inextricable connection with inanimate nature. Practical significance of biological research and methods (including genetic engineering, biotechnology) for medicine, agriculture, industry, wise use natural resources and nature conservation, as well as the penetration of ideas and methods of the exact sciences into these studies, advanced biology in the mid-20th century to cutting edge natural sciences.
The task of biology and a review of the main problems
The task of biology is a comprehensive study of the entire set of organisms, both modern and fossil. Number modern species organisms reaches about 2 million, including more than 1.5 million animals. About the same number of fossil species are known. Biologists study the structure of plants and animals, their vital functions, way of life and distribution on Earth, their historical development and significance, ways of use, etc. These studies make it possible to increasingly and rationally use useful forms, more and more successfully destroy harmful ones.
Question about historical development organic world and the origins of man are among the most important in modern biology; they have always stood at the center of the struggle between materialism and idealism. It is the branch of biology that covers these issues that has experienced and continues to experience strong attacks from reactionary forces in biology.
Biology is now - a complex system scientific disciplines, each of which has its own tasks, methods and objects of research.
The whole world of organisms, depending on the degree of their relationship, is divided into certain groups: types, classes, series, families, genera, species. The distribution of organisms into groups, or their classification, is carried out by taxonomy. The founder of scientific systematics was C. Linnaeus.
The structure of organisms and its changes in individual and historical development is studied by morphology, which is the basis for the development of other biological sciences. For studying internal structure Morphology of organisms uses the method of sections and slices, so this section is also known as anatomy. Application comparative analysis internal structures allowed us to make a number of important generalizations. Without comparative anatomy it is impossible to solve such a problem. important problem like the evolution of the organic world.
Microscopic examination the finest structure The study of the body of organisms, inaccessible to the naked human eye, is carried out by the science of tissues - histology. In parallel with comparative anatomy, comparative histology developed. Microscopic study of the structure of cells led to the development of cell biology - the science of structure, chemical composition, physiological properties and development of this basic structural unit of living beings.
Morphological sciences are closely intertwined with physiology, which studies the vital functions of organisms, i.e. their vital processes (movement, nutrition, breathing, blood circulation, excretion, transmission of nervous excitement, etc.). Closely related to physiology is biochemistry, or physiological chemistry, which studies the chemical processes underlying metabolism, conducts chemical analysis tissues and various body secretions.
Relationships and interactions between the body and external environment studies ecology. An important section of it is coenology, which studies biocenoses. From the data of ecology and coenology, biogeography bases its conclusions on biogeography, which is divided into phytogeography (geography of plants) and zoogeography (geography of animals).
The individual development of organisms (ontogenesis) is divided into two stages - embryonic (embryonic) and postembryonic (post-embryonic). The patterns of embryonic development are studied by embryology, which, naturally, is divided into plant embryology and animal and human embryology. The issue of heredity and variability of organisms is studied by genetics.
The doctrine of evolution, or Darwinism, covers both the general patterns of the evolution of organisms and factors of the historical (phylogenetic) and individual development of animals and plants. Specific paths historical development, the relationship of various systematic groups of organisms - their phylogeny is studied by phylogenetics. Paleontology, which studies fossil plants (paleobotany) and fossil animals (paleozoology) and their development throughout all geological eras, is very important for identifying the relationship of organisms. It was she who made it possible, on the basis of documentary data - the fossilized remains of fossil organisms - to recreate a real picture of the evolution of the organic world, the successive stages of the development of life on Earth.
When analyzing complex biological phenomena, it is necessary to consider them in close connection with the processes occurring in inanimate nature. Therefore, B. widely uses the services of physics, chemistry, geology and other natural sciences. The study of physical laws in biological phenomena, in particular the influence of radioactive substances on organisms, led to the emergence of new branches of biophysics and radiobiology.
Biological disciplines
Anatomy is a group of branches of biology that study the structure of organisms or their parts at a level above the cellular level.
Algology is the science of algae, a branch of botany.
Anthropology is a biological science that studies the bodily nature of man, his origin and further development.
Bacteriology is a branch of microbiology that studies the structure, life and properties of bacteria.
Biogeography is a science that studies the patterns of geographical distribution of animals and plants and their groups, as well as the nature of the fauna and flora of individual territories.
Biogeocenology is a scientific discipline that studies the structure and functioning of complexes of living and inanimate nature in biogeocenoses.
Bioengineering is a branch of biology and medicine that deals with consciously introducing changes into living organisms to control their properties.
Bioinformatics is a field of computational biology that uses machine algorithms and statistical methods for analyzing large biological data sets
Ocean biology is a science, a branch of biology and oceanology that studies the life of marine organisms (biota) and their ecological interactions.
Developmental biology is a branch of biology that studies the causal mechanisms and driving forces of individual development (ontogenesis) of animal and plant organisms.
Biometrics is a set of methods for mathematical processing of data obtained by measuring the body or individual organs of organisms.
Bionics is the use of biological methods and structures to develop engineering solutions and technological methods.
Biosemiotics is a science that studies the properties of signs and sign systems (sign processes) in living systems.
Biospeleology is a branch of biology that deals with the study of organisms living in caves.
Biophysics is a field of science that studies the physical and physicochemical phenomena of origin, formation, life, reproduction of life at all levels, starting with molecules, cells, organs and tissues, ending with organisms and the biosphere as a whole.
Biochemistry is the science of the chemical composition of organisms and their components and about chemical processes, occurring in organisms.
Biomechanics is a science that studies, based on the ideas and methods of mechanics, the properties of biological objects
Biocenology is a branch of ecology that studies biocenoses, their occurrence, origin and development, structure and distribution in space and time, relationship with environment and among themselves, both the biocenoses themselves and their individual components.
Botany is a branch of biology that studies plants, fungi and algae.
Botanical geography is the science of the patterns of geographical distribution of plant cover in connection with relief, climate, soils and other components of the landscape.
Bryology is the science that studies bryophytes (mosses and liverworts)
Virology is a field of science that studies the properties of viruses in humans, animals, plants, bacteria, and fungi
Genetics is the science of genes, heredity and variability of organisms.
Hydrobiology is a complex biological science that studies the population of the hydrosphere.
Histology is a branch of biology that studies the structure of tissues of living organisms.
Dendrology is the branch of botany that studies woody plants (trees, shrubs, and shrubs).
Evolutionary biology is a branch of biology that studies the origin of species, their changes, divisions and the emergence of biodiversity.
Ecology is one of the branches of biology that studies the relationship between biotic and social integrity and their environment.
Embryology is a branch of developmental biology (ontogenesis) that studies the embryonic period of ontogenesis, i.e. embryos various types animals, their anatomy and physiology, patterns of their growth, development and maturation, pathology and anomalies of embryos.
Endocrinology is the science of the structure and function of the endocrine glands (endocrine glands); on the substances that produce (hormones) and their effect on the human (or animal) body
Entomology is the scientific discipline that studies insects. Sometimes this definition becomes more broad meaning and also includes the study of other terrestrial arthropods such as spiders, scorpions and mites.
Ethology is a field discipline of zoology that studies animal behavior.
Zoology is a biological discipline that studies animals and their relationships with their environment.
Immunology is a field of biomedical sciences covering the study of all aspects of the immune system of all organisms
Ichthyology is the science of fish.
Cell biology is a branch of biology that studies the structural and functional organization of prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells.
Space biology is a biological science, or a branch of biology that studies the possibility of the existence of living organisms in space and on other planets besides Earth.
Xenobiology is the science of life forms of extraterrestrial origin.
Mycology is a science that studies mushrooms as a special group of organisms that constitute an independent kingdom of living nature.
Microbiology is a branch of biology that deals with the study of microorganisms, mainly viruses, bacteria, fungi, unicellular algae and protozoa.
Molecular biology is a field of science that studies biological processes at the level of biopolymers - nucleic acids and proteins and their supramolecular structures.
Morphology is the shape and structure of an organism.
Neurobiology is a science that studies the structure, functioning, development, genetics, biochemistry, physiology and pathology of the nervous system.
Ornithology is the science of birds, one of the branches of zoology.
Paleontology is a science that studies extinct organisms and tries to reconstruct their appearance from found remains.
Systematics is the science of the diversity of living organisms, the task of which is to describe and list the various existing and extinct species and their distribution.
Systems biology - Is an interdisciplinary life science.
Synthetic biology is a science whose goal is to create and study biological systems, which did not exist previously.
Theriology is the science of mammals, one of the branches of zoology
Mathematical and theoretical biology is a science that studies the patterns of functioning of living things and tries to formally describe them.
Toxicology is the science that studies poisonous, toxic and harmful substances, the potential danger of their impact on organisms and ecosystems.
Plant physiology is a science that studies all processes of activity and functions of the plant organism, their interrelations and connections with the environment.
Physiology of animals and humans is a field of science that studies the mechanisms and patterns of all manifestations of the vital activity of an organism, its organs, tissues, cells and sublime formations, using methods and concepts of physics, chemistry, mathematics and cybernetics to study and explain these manifestations.
Fungal physiology is a science that studies the life processes of fungi.
Biology Research
Cytology
Section of an animal cell
Cytology (Greek κύτος - “container”, here: “cell” and λόγος - “teaching”, “science”) is a branch of biology that studies living cells, their organelles, their structure, functioning, processes of cellular reproduction, aging and death.
Genetics
Genetics (Greek Γενητως - what comes from whom) is the science of the laws and mechanisms of heredity and variability. Depending on the object of study, the genetics of plants, animals, microorganisms, humans and others are classified, depending on the methods used - the science of genetics, environmental genetics and others. The ideas and methods of genetics play important role in medicine, agriculture, microbiological industry, as well as in genetic engineering.
Genetics as a science appeared not so long ago! In 1865, Gregor Mendel published a report “Experiments on plant hybrids,” which is considered to be the beginning of the science of genetics, and Gregor Mendel was nicknamed “The Father of Genetics” for this.
Ecology
Ecology (Greek Οικος - house, home, economy, shelter, place of residence, homeland and λόγος - concept, doctrine, science) is the science of the relationships of living organisms and their communities with each other and with the environment. The term was first proposed by the German biologist Ernst Haeckel in 1866 in his book General Morphology of Organisms.
Mutual symbiosis of fish from the genus Amphiprion living among the tentacles of tropical sea anemones. The territorial fish are protected from the anemones that feed on the sea anemones, and in turn, the anemone's stinging tentacles protect the clownfish from predators.
Ecology as a science has become very popular in our time, due to the deterioration of the environment.
Objects of ecology research are mainly systems above the level of individual organisms: populations, biocenoses, ecosystems, as well as the entire biosphere. The subject of study is the organization and functioning of such systems.
The main task of applied ecology is to develop principles rational use natural resources based on the formulated general patterns of life organization.
Research methods in ecology are divided into field, historical, experimental, comparative and modeling methods.
Field methods are observations of the functioning of organisms in their natural habitat.
Experimental methods include varying various factors affecting organisms according to a developed program in stationary laboratory conditions.
Modeling methods allow us to predict the development various processes interactions of living systems with each other and with their environment.
The comparison method allows us to identify general patterns in the structure and functioning of various organisms.
The historical method is based on data about the modern organic world and its past, to understand the processes of development of living nature.
Biological classification
Biological classification is a scientific discipline whose tasks include developing principles for classifying living organisms and practical use these principles to the construction of the system. Classification here refers to the description and placement in the system of all existing and extinct organisms.
Biological safety
Biological safety is the preservation of the functioning of living systems, their integrity, biological functions, relationships with other systems, the prevention of large-scale loss of biological integrity, which may occur as a result of the introduction of species into ecosystems, environmental pollution (water, soil, air), etc. d. ;
Biology is the science of life. Currently, it represents a complex of sciences about living nature. The object of study of biology is living organisms - plants and animals. and study the diversity of species, body structure and organ functions, development, distribution, their communities, evolution.
The first information about living organisms began to accumulate primitive. Living organisms provided him with food, material for clothing and housing. Already at that time, a person could not do without knowledge about the properties of plants, the places where they grow, the timing of ripening of fruits and seeds, the habitats and habits of the animals he hunted, predators and poisonous animals that could threaten his life.
Thus, information about living organisms gradually accumulated. The domestication of animals and the beginning of plant cultivation required more in-depth knowledge of living organisms.
First Founders
Significant factual material about living organisms was collected by the great physician of Greece - Hippocrates (460-377 BC). He collected information about the structure of animals and humans, and gave a description of bones, muscles, tendons, the brain and spinal cord.
The first great work zoology belongs to the Greek naturalist Aristotle (384-322 BC). He described more than 500 species of animals. Aristotle was interested in the structure and lifestyle of animals; he laid the foundations of zoology.
The first work on systematizing knowledge about plants ( botany) was made by Theophrastus (372-287 BC).
Ancient science owes the expansion of knowledge about the structure of the human body (anatomy) to the doctor Galen (130-200 BC), who performed autopsies on monkeys and pigs. His works influenced natural science and medicine for several centuries.
During the Middle Ages, under the yoke of the church, science developed very slowly. An important milestone in the development of science was the Renaissance, which began in the 15th century. Already in the 18th century. Botany, zoology, human anatomy, and physiology developed as independent sciences.
Major milestones in the study of the organic world
Gradually, information accumulated about the diversity of species, the structure of the body of animals and humans, individual development, functions of organs of plants and animals. Throughout the centuries-old history of biology, the largest milestones in the study of the organic world can be called:
- Introduction of the principles of systematics proposed by K. Linnaeus;
- invention of the microscope;
- creation of cell theory by T. Schwann;
- approval of the evolutionary doctrine of Charles Darwin;
- discovery by G. Mendel of the basic laws of heredity;
- application of an electron microscope for biological research;
- deciphering the genetic code;
- creation of the doctrine of the biosphere.
To date, science knows about 1,500,000 species of animals and about 500,000 species of plants. The study of the diversity of plants and animals, the features of their structure and life activity has great importance. Biological sciences are the basis for the development of crop production, animal husbandry, medicine, bionics, and biotechnology.
One of the oldest biological sciences is human anatomy and physiology, which form the theoretical foundation of medicine. Every person should have an understanding of the structure and functions of their body in order to be able to provide first aid if necessary, consciously take care of their health and follow hygiene rules.
Over the centuries, botany, zoology, anatomy, and physiology have been developed by scientists as independent, isolated sciences. Only in the 19th century. patterns were discovered that are common to all living beings. This is how sciences emerged that study the general laws of life. These include:
- Cytology is the science of cells;
- genetics - the science of variability and heredity;
- ecology - the science of the relationship of an organism with the environment and in communities of organisms;
- Darwinism - the science of the evolution of the organic world and others.
IN training course they form the subject of general biology.
From the first days of life, a person is inextricably linked with biology. Acquaintance with this science begins with school desk, but we have to deal with biological processes or phenomena every day. Later in the article we will look at what biology is. The definition of this term will help to better understand what is included in the range of interests of this science.
What does biology study?
The first thing considered when studying any science is the theoretical explanation of its meaning. So, there are several formulated definitions of what biology is. We'll look at a few of them. For example:
- Biology is the science of all living organisms living on Earth, their interactions with each other and with the environment. This explanation is most common in school educational literature.
- Biology is a set of teachings that deals with the consideration and knowledge of living objects of nature. Humans, animals, plants, microorganisms are all representatives of living organisms.
- And the shortest definition is: biology is the science of life.
The origin of the term has ancient Greek roots. If translated literally, then we will have another definition of what biology is. The word consists of two parts: “bio” - “life”, and “logos” - “teaching”. That is, everything that is related to life in one way or another falls within the scope of the study of biology.
Subsections of biology
The definition of biology will become more complete when listing the sections included in this science:
- Zoology. She studies the animal world, classifies animals, their internal and external morphology, life activity, relationship with the world, influence on human life. In addition, zoology examines rare and extinct species of animals.
- Botany. This is the branch of biology related to flora. She studies plant species, their structure and physiological processes. In addition to the basic issues related to plant morphology, this category of biology studies the use of plants in industry and human life.
- Anatomy examines the internal and external structure of the human and animal body, organ systems, and the interaction of systems.
Each biological section has a number of its own subcategories, each of which deals with the study of narrower topics of the section. In this case, there will be several definitions of biology.
What does biology study?
Since the definitions of biology state that it is the science of living things, therefore, the objects of its study are living organisms. These include:
- Human;
- plants;
- animals;
- microorganisms.
Biology deals with the study of more precise structures of the body. These include:
- Cellular, molecular - this is the consideration of organisms at the level of cells and smaller components.
- Tissue - a complex of cells of one direction develops into tissue structures.
- Organ - cells and tissues that perform one function form organs.
- Organismal - a system of cells, tissues and organs and their interaction with each other, forms a full-fledged living organism.
- Population - the structure is aimed at studying the life of individuals of one species in a single territory, as well as their interaction within the system and with other species.
- Biosphere.
Biology is closely related to medicine, so its teachings are also medical topics. The study of microorganisms, as well as the molecular structures of living substances, helps to obtain new medications to combat various diseases.
What sciences does biology overlap with?
Biology is a science that has close interaction with various sciences in other areas. These include:
- Chemistry. Biology and chemistry have a close intertwining of topics and are inextricably linked with each other. After all, various biochemical processes continuously occur in biological objects. A simple example can be called respiration of organisms, photosynthesis of plants, metabolism.
- Physics. Even in biology there is a subsection called biophysics, which studies the physical processes associated with the life of organisms.
As you can see, biology is a multifaceted science. The definition of what biology is can be paraphrased in different ways, but the meaning remains the same - it is the study of living organisms.
Biology (from the Greek bios - life, logos - science) is the science of life, the general laws of existence and development of living beings. The subject of its study is living organisms, their structure, functions, development, relationships with the environment and origin. Like physics and chemistry, it belongs to the natural sciences, the subject of study of which is nature.
Biology is one of the oldest natural sciences, although the term “biology” to denote it was first proposed only in 1797 by the German professor of anatomy Theodor Ruz (1771-1803), after which this term was used in 1800 by a professor at the University of Dorpat (now Tartu) K. Burdach (1776-1847), and in 1802 J.-B. Lamarck (1744-1829) and L. Treviranus (1779-1864).
Biology - natural Science. Like other sciences, it arose and has always developed in connection with man’s desire to understand the world around him, as well as in connection with the material conditions of society, the development social production, medicine, practical needs of people.
Stages of development of biology. Man began to collect the very first information about living beings, probably from the time when he realized his difference from the world around him. Already in the literary monuments of the Egyptians, Babylonians, Indians and others, information is contained on the structure of many plants and animals, on the application of this knowledge in medicine and agriculture. In the XIV century. BC e. many cuneiform tablets created in Mesopotamia contained information about animals and plants, about the systematization of animals by dividing them into carnivores and herbivores, and plants into trees, vegetables, medicinal herbs etc. In medical works created in the VI-I centuries. BC e. in India, contains ideas about heredity as the reason for the similarity of parents and children, and in the monuments “Mahabharata” and “Ramayana” quite a lot is given detailed description a number of features of the life of many animals and plants.
During the period of the slave system, the Ionian, Athenian, Alexandrian and Roman schools emerged in the study of animals and plants.
The Ionian school originated in Ionia (VII-IV centuries BC). Not believing in the supernatural origin of life, the philosophers of this school recognized the causality of phenomena, the movement of life along a certain path, and the accessibility to study of “natural law,” which, according to them, governs the world. In particular, Alcmaeon (late 6th - early 5th century BC) described the optic nerve and the development of the chick embryo, recognized the brain as the center of sensations and thinking, and Hippocrates (460-377 BC) gave the first relatively detailed description of the structure of humans and animals, pointed out the role of environment and heredity in the occurrence of diseases.
Biology is a term used to describe a whole system of sciences. She generally studies living things, as well as their interaction with the outside world. Biology studies absolutely all aspects of life of any living organism, including evolution, forms of behavior, its origin, reproduction and growth.
When did the term "biology" appear? As a separate science, it began to emerge only in early XIX century. Who coined the term "biology"? You will learn about this further.
Antiquity and the emergence of the first biological disciplines
Before we find out when the term “biology” appeared, we should talk a little about the origins of this discipline as such. It is believed that it is ancient Greek philosopher Aristotle was the first to lay the foundations of biological disciplines - the foundation of such sciences as zoology and botany. Archaeologists have found a mass of material artifacts that record Aristotle's writings on animals. He was the first to show connections between certain animal species. It was Aristotle who noticed that all artiodactyl animals chew the cud.
Dioscorides is considered an equally important scientific figure in the field of biology, who throughout his life compiled a large list medicinal plants and described their action (about six hundred plants in total).
Another ancient philosopher, Theophrastus, wrote a huge work called “Studies on Plants.” In it he developed the thoughts of Aristotle, but exclusively about plants and their properties.
Middle Ages
Who coined the term "biology" and when did it happen? It is too early to talk about this, since after the decline of the Western Roman Empire, much knowledge, including about medicine and biology, was lost. Arabs during the period early Middle Ages capture a vast territory and the works of Aristotle fall into their hands - after which they will be translated into Arabic.
In the 8th century, Arab researchers achieved great success in the field of botany and anatomy. In zoology, great success was achieved by the Arab writer Al Jahis, who was the first to put forward the theory of evolution, and he also proposed the theory of food chains.
Al-Danawari became the founder of botany in the Arab world. Like Aristotle, Al Danawari described approximately six hundred species of plants, as well as their development and the growth phases of each.
An incredibly great contribution to the development of biology and especially medicine was made by the Arab physician Aviatsenna. He wrote the famous book “The Canon of Medical Science,” which remained in service with European doctors until the 18th century inclusive. It was Aviatsenna who gave pharmacology to humanity and described the first clinical studies, which later seriously influenced the study of human anatomy and methods of combating diseases.
Ibn Zuhr studied the nature of such a disease as scabies and carried out surgical operations, as well as the first clinical experiments on animals. IN medieval Europe medicine and the study of sciences such as botany and zoology were not widespread, primarily due to the influence of the Catholic Church.
Renaissance and interest in medicine, biology
During the Renaissance, the meaning of the term "biology" was not yet known. But the position of the church weakened significantly, and scientists, mostly in Italy, began to show interest in botany, zoology, anatomy and medicine - they began to study the works of scientific figures of Antiquity.
Already in the 16th century, the Dutch scientist Vesalius laid the foundations of modern anatomy. To write his works, he personally dissected human bodies and examined the structure of internal organs.
The researchers returned to the dense study of plants, that is, to botany, as they realized that many herbs have quite strong medicinal properties and help in curing diseases.
In the 16th century, the description of animals and their way of life turned into a whole scientific direction for the study of the entire known animal world.
No less important contributions to the development of biology were made by Leonardo da Vinci and Paracelsus, who continued to study anatomy and pharmacology.
In the 17th century, scientist Kaspar Baugin described all the plants known at that time in Europe - more than six thousand species. William Harvey, performing autopsies on animals, made a number of important discoveries that relate to blood circulation.
In the 17th century, a new biological discipline was born, associated with the invention of the microscope. Thanks to his discovery, people learned about the existence of microscopic single-celled organisms, which caused a resonance in society. At the same time, human spermatozoa were studied for the first time.
Which scientist used the term "biology"?
At the beginning of the 19th century, biological disciplines developed into a full-fledged science, which was recognized by the scientific community.
So which scientist suggested using the term "biology"? When did it happen?
The term "biology" was proposed by the German anatomist and physiologist Friedrich Burdach, who specialized in the study of the human brain. Happened this event in 1800.
Also, it is worth saying that biology is a term that was proposed by two other scientists who were not aware of Burdach's proposal. In 1802, Gottfried Treviranus and Jean Baptiste Lamarck simultaneously announced this. The definition of the term “biology” has become known to all scientists working in this direction.
Biology in the 19th century
Now that we know who proposed the term "biology", it is worth talking about its further development. One of the key works of the 19th century was the publication of Charles Darwin's On the Origin of Species. At the same time, scientists discovered fundamental differences between the inanimate and living worlds. Doctors and scientists continued to experiment on animals, which gave a huge impetus to understanding the work of internal organs.
Biology in the 20th century
Pharmacy and other disciplines were radically changed by Mendeleev's discovery - he created the so-called periodic table of Mendeleev. After Mendeleev's discovery, scientists discovered chromosomes as carriers of genetic information.
Genetics originated already in the 1920s. Around the same period, the study of vitamins and their use began. In the late 1960s, the DNA code was deciphered, which led to the emergence of such a biological discipline as She this moment is actively studying human and animal genes, and is also looking for ways to change them through individual mutations.
Development of biology in the 21st century
In the 21st century, many problems remain unresolved. One of the most important is the problem of the origin of life on Earth. Also, researchers have not come to a consensus on the question of how the triplet code arose.
Biologists and geneticists are working very actively on the issue of aging. Scientists are trying to understand why organisms age and what causes the aging process. This problem has been called one of humanity's greatest mysteries, the solution to which will change the world forever.
Researchers, and especially botanists, are no less actively working on the problem of the origin of life on other planets. Such research will play a big role in the exploration of space and other planets.
Principles of biology
In total, there are only five fundamental principles. They unite absolutely all biological disciplines into one single science about living organisms, the name of which is biology. The term includes the following principles:
- Evolution is a natural process of development of any living organism, during which a change in the genetic code of the organism occurs.
- Energy is an irreplaceable attribute of any living organism. In short, an influx of energy, and only a constant one, ensures the survival of the organism.
- Cell theory (a cell is the basic unit of a living being). All cells of the body originate from one single egg. Their reproduction occurs due to the division of one cell into two.
- Gene theory (a small part of the DNA molecule that is responsible for storing and transmitting genetic information from one generation to another).
- Homeostasis is the process of self-regulation of the body and its restoration to normal balance.
Biological disciplines
At the moment, biology is a term that includes several dozen disciplines, each of which has a narrow specialization, but the above principles of this science are applicable to all of them.
Among the most popular disciplines are:
- Anatomy is a discipline that studies the structure of multicellular organisms, the structure, and functions of internal organs.
- Botany is a discipline that deals with the study of purely plants, both multicellular and unicellular.
- Virology is an important branch of microbiology, which deals with the study and fight against viruses dangerous to humans and animals. At the moment, virology is a weapon for fighting viruses, and therefore saving millions of people.
- Genetics and genetic engineering are sciences that study the patterns of heredity and variability of organisms. The latter deals with gene manipulation, which makes it possible to modify organisms and even create new ones.
- Zoology is a science that studies the animal world or, more simply, fauna.
- Ecology is a science that studies the interaction of any living organism with other organisms, as well as their interaction with the surrounding world.
Now you know which scientist proposed the term “biology” and what path of development this science has taken. We hope the information was useful.