What is Biology? - Definitions, Topics and Importance of Biology
“Biology is defined as the study of living organisms, their origins, anatomy, morphology, physiology, behaviour, and distribution.”
Life is teeming in every corner of the world – from the frozen Arctics to the searing Sahara. And with over 8.7 million species documented till date, the world is that the only planet within the universe where life is understood to exist.
Advancements in technology have opened even more insights about life and its constituents. For instance, discoveries such as viruses have scrutinized traditional definitions and pushed scientists to look at life from a whole new perspective.
Have you ever imagined that you never stay the way you were born, how when you sow a seed, and a new plant comes out from it? How is it that whenever you get hurt, your body heals itself? The answer to all these questions comes from Biology. Biology is one of the most important subjects that kids should learn about. The basics of Biology will help you in several ways and in various situations.
So, In this article, we are going to learn about what is Biology for kids, what we call the language of Biology, and will perform Biology experiments for kids. Learning Biology for kids will become easy with the wonderful explanations given in this article.
Biology
Biology Topics
Branches of Biology
Biology caters to those intriguing aspects through various sub-disciplines or branches. Some branches are intertwined with other disciplines of science.
For instance, theoretical biology may be a branch of biology that encompasses mathematical models to research certain principles that affect life.
Quantum Biology deals with biological processes that are quantum mechanical in nature – such as the conversion of energy into more usable forms. Other branches of biology are as follows:
Divisions of Biology
Biology can be divided into the following branches -
Botany
Zoology
Anatomy
Biotechnology
Ecology
Immunology
Genetics
Microbiology
Important Topics in Biology
Human Biology - The human body is an amazing system as it is made up of a group of organs called the organ system.
Macromolecules - Food provides the body with the nutrients it needs to survive. Many of those critical nutrients are biological macromolecules, or large molecules, necessary for all times. Four main types of macromolecules such as proteins, carbohydrates, nucleic acids and lipids control all activities.
Energy and Enzymes - Several chemical reactions are taking place in the body of a living organism, and surprisingly all of them are mediated by enzymes.
Structure of a Cell - All the living organisms that exist in this whole universe – like mushrooms, plants, humans, elephants, etc. is made from lots and many cells!
Membranes and Transport - A cell is the structural and functional working unit of life and also has been described as building blocks and fundamental units of an organism. The term cell was coined by an English scientist Robert Hooke in the year 1665. The shape and size of the cells vary consistently with their functions and compositions. There are different types of cells and can be differentiated based on the presence and absence of few cell organelles.
Cellular Respiration - Respiration is one of the essential processes carried out by all living organisms to survive. Explore more about how it extracts energy from food for the human body? How respiration occurs at the cellular level, its types and much more.
Photosynthesis - Photosynthesis may be a process by which phototrophs convert light energy into energy, which is later wont to fuel cellular activities. The energy is stored within the sort of sugars, which are created from water and CO2.
Cell Division - Cell division happens when a parent cell divides into two or more cells called daughter cells. Cell division usually occurs as part of a larger cell cycle. All cells reproduce by splitting into two, where each parental cell gives rise to 2 daughter cells.
History of Biology
Origin of the Term “Biology”.
Before the term biology was adapted, other terms existed which described the study of plants and animals. For instance, the term Natural History was used to explain animals, plants, fungi and other lifeforms in their natural environment.
Furthermore, it was observational rather than an experimental field of study. Hence, a person who would study natural history is termed as a natural historian or a naturalist. Other terms that came before biology included theology and physics.
The term “Biology”, in the modern sense, was introduced through the works of Michael Christoph Hanow in 1766. However, it was introduced independently four more times through the works of Thomas Beddoes (1799), Karl Friedrich Burdach (1800), Gottfried Reinhold Treviranus (1802), and Jean-Baptiste Lamarck (1802).
Origins as a Field of Study
For the very first humans, knowledge about plants and animals meant the difference between life or death. As a result, cumulative knowledge about species, behavior, and anatomy was passed down for many generations.
However, the foremost significant development in biological knowledge came when humans transitioned from hunters and foragers to farmers, cultivating crops and perfecting agriculture.
Traditions of drugs, collective knowledge from physicians, works of prominent historical figures like Aristotle eventually coalesced into the sector of study we all know today as biology.
The most significant revolutions in biology came during the 19th century, with a host of discoveries and technological innovations.
Importance of Biology
Now let’s understand the importance of Biology:
It teaches us how our body grows and what it needs to grow.
It helps to develop better medicines.
It helps in the treatment of disease.
It helps us to understand how weather affects the life of plants and animals.
It helps us to understand how exercise helps us to stay healthy.
Fields of Study in Biology
Biology is a very large and broad field because there is a large variety of life on earth. So individual biologists focus and do research in their specific fields.
Botany
It's the field of Biology which studies plant life.
Botany
Zoology
It studies animal life.
Zoology
Ecology
It studies how organisms interact with the environment.
Ecology
Physiology
It deals with how living organisms function.
Physiology
Agriculture
It's the study which teaches how to produce crops from the land.
Agriculture
Biology Experiments for Kids
Learning Biology for kids is not just enjoyable but also an interesting thing. We can perform various biological experiments for kids to make learning fun. Let's check some of them.
Ferment your own food- In this, you can change the properties of your food using microbes. Remember one thing Each fermented food has a different requirement
Like curd is made by the bacterial fermentation of milk.
So let's try this one and for this, you will need some milk and 1-2 chilli.
Now heat your milk until it's become lukewarm and then immerse the chilli which you have and keep this aside for 5-6 hrs; after that you can see that your milk is fermented and become curd.
Milk to Curd
Grow a plant- It's not only good to grow plants but from this small kids can learn also. So for this, you will need a seed.
Plant that seed into the ground and provide all the nutrients it needs to grow. And when it grows make your child learn about different parts of the plants and how it grows.
Grow Plants
Create a fall leaf journal- It's one of the most enjoyable activities which we all had done in our childhood.
For this, we need glue, scrapbooks and leaves.
When we study Biology it's a very good idea to learn about nature and its surrounding. So in this, you need to paste at least 5-6 leaves of different plants. Observe their shape and size and the qualities each.
Leaf Journal
Biology Facts for Kids
Now as we had learned about what Biology is, now it's time to know some mind-blowing facts about Biology.
We actually have 9 senses (i.e hearing, vision, taste, touch, smell, pain, balance, temperature, and proprioception).
The ocean produces the majority of the oxygen on earth.
Women's hearts beat faster than men's.
Whenever you lie, your nose gets warmer.
The human body is made of 37 trillion cells.
Your heart beats about 1,15,000 in a day.
Horses and cows actually sleep standing up.
Summary
In this article, we learned about how important it's for kids to learn about Biology. We learnt about what is Biology and its importance and performed some easy experiments which made us understand life. We also read about some interesting facts which are related to life or Biology.
And also learned about what are the fun and enjoyable ways to make learning Biology easy. You can also use Biology pictures for kids to learn Biology easily to small kids. These types of articles not only keep them interested in learning but helps them to understand the concept and remember it for a longer time.
FAQs on Biology
1. Who is Known as the Father of Biology?
Philosopher Aristotle.
2. Who is Called the Mother of Biology?
Maria Sibylla Merian.
3. Who First Discovered Biology?
Thomas Beddoes.
4. Name Some of the Important Topics of Biology.
Some of the important topics of Biology are:
Membranes and Transport
Cellular Respiration
Photosynthesis
Cell Division
5. Through the process of photosynthesis trees create energy. But which gas is given off during photosynthesis?
Oxygen is given off during photosynthesis.
6. Name any one organ which is not used during digestion.
Lungs is not used during digestion.
7. When we breathe we actually need oxygen but what percentage of oxygen is present in the atmosphere?
About 21% of oxygen is present in the atmosphere.
8. What part of science works on biological children or human beings who are yet to be born?
Embryology and Developmental Biology is the branch of Biology that deals with the development of biological children of human beings.
