2 DEFINITIONS OF SCIENCE

1. Science is the careful study of the structure and behavior of

the physical world, especially by watching, measuring, and doing experiments

2. It is the development of theories to describe the results of these activities: pure/applied science;
recent developments in science and technology; Space travel is one of
the marvels/wonders of modern science.

TWO CATEGORIES OF SCIENCE

I. Natural Science ---- Natural sciences are defined as disciplines that deal only with natural events (i.e.,
independent and dependent variables in nature) using scientific methods.

3 DIVISIONS:
A. Biological Science/Life Science ---Life science is an enormous field of study that examines every
living thing on earth. Life science studies life in all its forms, past and present and study the biology of
how organisms live.

Branches of biological Science

1. Zoology --- Zoology (also known as animal science) is the branch of biology devoted to the study of
animal life. It covers areas ranging from the structure of organisms to the subcellular unit of life.
2. Botany --- Botany is the scientific study of plants, or multicellular organisms, that carry on
photosynthesis. Botany includes a wide range of scientific sub disciplines that study the structure, growth,
reproduction, metabolism, development, diseases, ecology and evolution of plants.
3. Anatomy --- Anatomy is the study of structures in the human body. Anatomy focuses on the
description of form, or how body structures at different levels look.
4. Physiology--- Physiology studies the “nature” of the human body, nature in the sense of how
structures at different levels work. Physiology focuses on function, or how structures at different
levels work.
5. Pathology --- Pathology is the study of disease. It is the bridge between science and medicine. It
underpins every aspect of patient care, from diagnostic testing and treatment advice to using cutting-edge
genetic technologies and preventing disease.
6. Cytology --- Cytology (also known as cytopathology) is the study of individual cells of the body, it
involves examining cells from bodily tissues or fluids to determine a diagnosis.
7. Histology --- Histology is the study of tissues and their structure. The structure of each tissue is
directly related to its function, so histology is related to anatomy and physiology.
8. Genetics --- Genetics is the scientific study of genes and heredity—of how certain qualities or traits
are passed from parents to offspring as a result of changes in DNA sequence.
9. Ecology --- Ecology, or ecological science, is the branch of biology that studies the relationship of
plants and animals to their physical and biological environment.
10. Microbiology --- Microbiology is the study of all living organisms that are too small to be visible
with the naked eye. This includes bacteria, archaea, viruses, fungi, prions, protozoa and algae, collectively
known as 'microbes'.

B. Physical Science ---Physical science is the study of matter and energy. It covers natural sciences,
dealing with non-living materials.

Branches of physical Science

1. Physics --- Physics refers to the knowledge of how the physical world operates, based on objective
evidence determined through observation and experimentation.
2. Chemistry --- 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.

C. Earth Science ---Earth science is the study of the Earth's structure, properties, processes, and years of
biotic evolution.

Branches of Earth Science

1. Astronomy --- Astronomy is the study of everything in the universe beyond Earth’s atmosphere. That
includes objects like the Sun , the Moon , the planets, and the stars . It also includes faraway galaxies and
tiny particles.

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2. Geology --- Geology is the study of the structure, evolution and dynamics of the Earth and its natural
mineral and energy resources. Geology investigates the processes that have shaped the Earth through its
4500 million (approximate!) year history and uses the rock record to unravel that history.
3. Meteorology --- the science of atmospheric properties and phenomena—science that includes the
atmosphere’s physics and chemistry.
4. Geography --- Geography is the study of places and the relationships between people and
their environments.
5. Paleontology --- Paleontology is the study of the history of life on Earth as based on fossils. Fossils are
the remains of plants, animals, fungi, bacteria, and single-celled living things that have been replaced by
rock material or impressions of organisms preserved in rock.

II. Social Science --- Social Science is the study of society and the manner in which people behave and
influence the world around us.

Branches of Social Science

1. Sociology --- Sociology is the study of human social relationships and institutions. Sociology’s subject
matter is diverse, ranging from crime to religion, from the family to the state, from the divisions of race
and social class to the shared beliefs of a common culture, and from social stability to radical change in
whole societies.
2. Psychology --- Psychology is the scientific study of the mind and behaviour. It involves studying and
understanding mental processes, brain functions, and behaviour.
3. Political Science --- Political science focuses on the theory and practice of government and politics at
the local, state, national, and international levels.
4. Economics --- Economics is the study of scarcity and its implications for the use of resources,
production of goods and services, growth of production and welfare over time, and a great variety of other
complex issues of vital concern to society.
5. Archeology --- Archaeology is the study of the human past using material remains. These remains can
be any objects that people created, modified, or used.
6. History --- History is the study of or a record of
past events considered together, especially events of a particular period, country, or subject
7. Anthropology--- Anthropology is the systematic study of humanity, with the goal of understanding our
evolutionary origins, our distinctiveness as a species, and the great diversity in our forms of social
existence across the world and through time.

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Libretexts. (2020, August 14). 1.2: What is Human Anatomy, What is Human Physiology. Medicine

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National Geographic Society. (n.d.). Resource Library | National Geographic Society. (C) National

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https://www.nigms.nih.gov/education/fact-sheets/Pages/genetics.aspx

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