Portfolio

in
Science
Rhea Joy S. Arenque

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 Table of
Content
What is biology? …………………………………….. 3

Branches of Biology …………………………………... 4

Scientist who made contribution

in the field of Biology ………………………………… 9

What is Chemistry? …………………………………… 13

Fields of Chemistry …………………………………… 14

Importance of Chemistry ……………………………... 16

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 What is Biology

Biology is the science of life. Its name is derived from the

Greek word “bios” (life) and “logos” (study). Biologist
study the structure, functions, growth, origin, evolution
and distribution of living organism. There are generally
considered to be at least nine umbrella fields of biology,
each of which consists of multiple subfields.

It is the natural science that studies life and living

organisms, including their physical structure, chemical
processes, molecular interactions, physiological
mechanisms development and evolution. Despite the
complexity of the science certain unifying concepts
consolidate it into a single, coherent field. Biology
recognizes the cell as the basic unit of life, genes as the
basic unit of heredity, and evolution as the engine that
propels the creation and extinction of species. Living
organism are open systems that survive by transforming
energy and decreasing their local entropy to maintain a
stable and vital condition defined as homeostasis.

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 BRANCHES OF BIOLOGY

Biology - the scientific study of life, includes several relevant

branches. Below is a list of major branches of biology with a
brief description for each.
Agriculture – science and practice of producing crops and
livestock from the natural resources of the earth.
Anatomy – study of the animal form, particularly human
body.
Astrobiology – branch of biology concerned with the effects
of outer space on living organisms and the search for
extraterrestrial life.
Biochemistry – the study of the structure and function of
cellular components, such as proteins, carbohydrates, lipids,
nucleic acids, and other biomolecules, and of their functions
and transformations during life processes.
Bioclimatology – a science concerned with the influence of
climates on organisms, for instance the effects of climate on
the development and distribution of plants, animals, and
humans
Bioengineering – or biological engineering, is a broad-based
engineering discipline that deals with bio-molecular and
molecular processes, product design, sustainability and
analysis of biological systems.

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 BRANCHES OF BIOLOGY

Biogeography – a science that attempts to describe the

changing distributions and geographic patterns of living and
fossil species of plants and animals
Bioinformatics – information technology as applied to the life
sciences, especially the technology used for the collection,
storage, and retrieval of genomic data
Biomathematics – mathematical biology or biomathematics
is an interdisciplinary field of academic study which aims at
modelling natural, biological processes using mathematical
techniques and tools. It has both practical and theoretical
applications in biological research.
Biophysics – or biological physics is an interdisciplinary
science that applies the theories and methods of physical
sciences to questions of biology
Biotechnology – applied science that is concerned with
biological systems, living organisms, or derivatives thereof, to
make or modify products or processes for specific use.
Botany – the scientific study of plants.
Cell biology – the study of cells at the microscopic or at the
molecular level. It includes studying the cells’ physiological
properties, structures, organelles, interactions with their
environment, life cycle, division and apoptosis
Chronobiology – a science that studies time-related
phenomena in living organisms
Cryobiology – the study of the effects of low temperatures on
living organisms

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 BRANCHES OF BIOLOGY

Developmental Biology – the study of the processes by which

an organism develops from a zygote to its full structure
Ecology – the scientific study of the relationships between
plants, animals, and their environment
Ethnobiology – a study of the past and present human
interactions with the environment, for instance the use of
diverse flora and fauna by indigenous societies.
Evolutionary Biology – a subfield concerned with the origin
and descent of species, as well as their change over time, i.e.
their evolution.
Freshwater Biology – a science concerned with the life and
ecosystems of freshwater habitats.
Genetics – a science that deals with heredity, especially the
mechanisms of hereditary transmission and the variation of
inherited characteristics among similar or related organisms.
Geobiology – a science that combines geology and biology to
study the interactions of organisms with their environment.
Immunobiology – a study of the structure and function of the
immune system, innate and acquired immunity, the bodily
distinction of self from nonself, and laboratory techniques
involving the interaction of antigens with specific antibodies.
Marine Biology – study of ocean plants and animals and their
ecological relationships
Medicine – the science which relates to the prevention, cure,
or alleviation of disease.

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 BRANCHES OF BIOLOGY

Microbiology – the branch of biology that deals with

microorganisms and their effects on other living organisms
Molecular Biology – the branch of biology that deals with the
formation, structure, and function of macromolecules
essential to life, such as nucleic acids and proteins, and
especially with their role in cell replication and the
transmission of genetic information.
Mycology – the study of fungi.
Neurobiology – the branch of biology that deals with the
anatomy and physiology and pathology of the nervous
system.
Paleobiology – the study of the forms of life existing in
prehistoric or geologic times, as represented by the fossils of
plants, animals, and other organisms.
Parasitology – the study of parasites and parasitism.
Pathology – the study of the nature of disease and its causes,
processes, development, and consequences.
Pharmacology – the study of preparation and use of drugs
and synthetic medicines.
Physiology – the biological study of the functions of living
organisms and their parts.
Protistology – the study of protists
Psychobiology – the study of mental functioning and
behavior in relation to other biological processes
Toxicology – the study of how natural or man-made poisons
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 BRANCHES OF BIOLOGY

Virology – study of viruses

Zoology – The branch of biology that deals with animals and
animal life, including the study of the structure, physiology,
development, and classification of animals
Ethology – the study of animal behavior
Entomology – the scientific study of insects
Ichthyology – the study of fishes
Herpetology – the study of reptiles and amphibians
Ornithology – the study of birds
Mammalogy – the study of mammals
Primatology – the science that deals with primates

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 Scientist who made contribution
in the field of Biology

ARISTOTLE (384–322 BC)

Ancient Greek philosopher, Aristotle, is often
not considered when it comes to great biological
discoveries, but his work on the classification of living
things was revolutionary. Referred to as the 'Ladder of
Life', Aristotle's classification system was in use up
until the 19th century. He was the first person to
recognize the relationships between species, and
organize accordingly.

GALEN (129–161 AD)

The life work of Greek physician, Galen,
revolutionized the way in which medical research is
conducted. Galen had a major influence on the
development of many fields of medicine including
anatomy, pathology, physiology and neurology.
Notable discoveries include the identification of the
differences between veins and arteries, and
recognising that the larynx generates voice. Much of
his hypotheses had scientific errors but his work in
pioneering the field of medical research is undeniable.

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 Scientist who made contribution
in the field of Biology

Antoni van Leeuwenhoek (1632–1723)

Antoni van Leeuwenhoek is well known for his
contributions to microscopy, and how he applied this
to the field of biology. He revolutionized a technique
for creating powerful lenses, which some speculate
were able to magnify up to 500 times. Leeuwenhoek
used the microscopes to find out more about the living
world – his discoveries include bacteria, the vacuole of
the cell and the banded pattern of muscle fibers.

Carl Linnaeus: (1707–1775)

A botanist, physician and zoologist, Carl Linnaeus
came up with the system of naming, ranking and
classifying organisms that we still use today. It was his
vast collection of specimens of plants, animals and
shells that led him to think up a way of grouping and
naming species. He separated all living things into
three kingdoms – animals, plants and minerals –
subdivided them into classes, then into orders and
finally into genera and species. Take homo sapiens;
homo is the genus and sapiens the species – a term
that is still in use today.

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 Scientist who made contribution
in the field of Biology

Charles Darwin: (1809–1882)

Probably the most famous naturalist of all time,
Charles Darwin's contribution to biology and society is
beyond imagination. He established that all species of
life have descended over time from common ancestors,
the existence of new species occurring via the process
of natural selection. His theory of evolution was
published in On the Origin of Species in 1859 and it
caused quite the stir – he was disputing the long-held
belief that all species had been created by God at the
beginning of the world. Evolution by natural selection
combined with Mendelian genetics is now accepted as
the modern evolutionary synthesis and forms the
foundations of much biological scientific endeavor.

Gregor Mendel: (1822–1884)

Gregor Mendel's extraordinary contribution didn't
receive its just recognition until long after the friar's
death. He used peas to discover and demonstrate the
laws of genetic inheritance, coining the terms
‘dominant’ and ‘recessive’ genes in the process. The
laws were rediscovered at the turn of the 20th century
and provided the mechanism by which Darwin's theory
of natural selection can occur. The two theories
combine to form our current understanding of the
evolutionary process.

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 Scientist who made contribution
in the field of Biology

Barbara McClintock: (1902–1992)

American geneticist, Barbara McClintock, spent her
career analyzing maize, where she developed a
technique for identifying and examining chromosomes
individually. Despite it not being immediately
recognized, her work made it possible for us to map
human genomes. She was awarded the Nobel Peace
Prize in 1983 for her discovery of transposition and
how genes could turn their physical characteristics on
and off.

Watson and Crick: (1928; 1916–2004)

James Watson and Francis Crick shot to fame in 1962
for their discovery of the structure of DNA, winning
the medical Nobel Prize in the process. Their model of
DNA (double helix) explains how DNA replicates, and
hereditary info is coded and passed on. The discovery
of structure has led to a much more developed
understanding of function – used in disease diagnosis
and treatment, forensics and more.

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 What is
Chemist
ry?
Chemistry is a branch of natural science that deals
principally with the properties of substances, the
changes they undergo, and the natural laws that
describe these changes.

The study of chemistry spans the range from qualitative

in focus to quantitative. The more qualitative chemist
might work on synthesizing a new compound used in
medicine, for example, while the more quantitative
work can seem much like physics applied to the
microscopic level of atoms and molecules.

Chemicals are everywhere and are everything. Anything

you can touch or smell or see contains one or more
chemicals. Many occur naturally but some are
manmade.

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 FIELD OF
CHEMISTRY

Organic chemistry is a sub-field of chemistry that

involves studying the molecules of life. It is mainly
concerned with looking at the structure and behavior of
these molecules, which are composed of only a few
different types of atoms: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen,
nitrogen, and a few miscellaneous others.

Analytical chemistry is the science of identification

and quantification of materials in a mixture. Analytical
chemists may invent procedures for analysis, or they
may use or modify existing ones.

Physical chemistry is the study of the fundamental

physical principles that govern the way that atoms,
molecules, and other chemical systems behave. Physical
chemists study a wide array of topics such as the rates
of reactions (kinetics), the way that light and matter
interact (spectroscopy), how electrons are arranged in
atoms and molecules (quantum mechanics), and the
stabilities and reactivates of different compounds and
processes (thermodynamics).

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 FIELD OF
CHEMISTRY

Inorganic chemistry is commonly thought of as

those areas within chemistry that do not deal with
carbon. However, carbon is very important in many
inorganic compounds, and there is a whole area of
study known as organometallic chemistry that is truly a
hybrid of the traditional disciplines of organic and
inorganic chemistry.

Biochemistry is the study of the chemical principles

underlying basic biological systems. Fundamentally,
biochemical research aims to characterize the link
between the structure and function of biological
macromolecules.

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 Importance of chemistry

Chemistry is a very important branch of science.

Chemistry is the study of science that deals with
constituents of matter like atoms molecules, ions etc.;
and its properties, structure, behavior, and interactions
among them. Since everything is made up of atoms and
molecules, we can see the chemistry all around us.
Today, chemistry has grown into a very diverse field.
There is a significant overlap between chemistry and
other branches of science, for example, biochemistry
(chemistry and biology), physical chemistry (chemistry
and physics), medicinal chemistry (medicine and
chemistry), chemical engineering (chemistry and
engineering) etc.

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