An+overview+of+Biology

=__**An overview of Biology**__=

//What are the unifying structures and processes of all living things?//

Beginning to answer this question leads us to understanding concepts such as why we eat, how all life is closely related, and how living things are all very similar in function.

An understanding of the chemistry of life can lead to new medicines, ways to protect the environment and information on how to live a healthy life.

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Cell Biology[[image:http://www.nature.com/nrm/journal/v5/n6/images/nrm1419-i1.jpg width="300" height="283" align="right" caption="A scanning electron micrograph of a cell"]]
//How does the structure and function of the cell and the purpose of these processes represent life at all levels?//

Beginning to answer this question allows us to realize that cells have to deal with all the situations that any living thing does, it shows how different cells deal with water, food, energy and reproduction.

By studying cells we can learn about health and diseases such as cancer. We can begin to answer the question of why we age and can aging be stopped/reversed/accelerated.

http://www.nature.com/nrm/journal/v5/n6/images/nrm1419-i1.jpg ==Genetics== //What is life's conduit for the passing of information?// //How is information for life's processes passed and stored from one generation to the next?// //How do varying methods of reproduction allow for variation within organisms?//

Beginning to answer this question allows us to see the common thread through cells and viruses and gives us a glimpse at the central idea behind biology...making copies.

By studying genetics we can learn about health, make new organisms, prove individuals guilty or innocent in a court, and determine how related we are to each other and all life.

http://www.studydiscussions.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/12/Genetics.jpg ==Evolution and Biodiversity== //What is the driving force behind the diversity of life?//

Beginning to answer this question allows us to see why the earth appears perfectly adapted to life, it allows us to understand extinct organisms such as dinosaurs and we can measure changes in populations of living things to see how they are changing over time.

By studying evolution we can help develop ways to improve public health, understand more about our planet's history, and understand why there are so many living things on the planet.

http://t1.gstatic.com/images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS-IKuLh4omNLm52FVK8QTeOSEyO5XKOheh-cCzQTXFe8J7f_KJ&t=1 ==Ecology== //What purpose and role do living things play on the environment and one another?//

Beginning to answer this question allows us to see how humans effect and are effected by their surroundings, how interconnected all life is to life and non-living things such as the sun, water and soil.

By studying ecology we learn how to improve public health, we can begin to understand and attempt to prevent species extinction, and we can learn how to sustain a healthy environment on earth and, eventually, beyond earth's atmosphere.

http://2.bp.blogspot.com/_YXWamP8aB5s/TEkExLAqZ9I/AAAAAAAABJU/sLXx0GFqiVc/s1600/Nature_Mountains.jpg ==Anatomy and Physiology== //What functions can specialized cells perform on a macro level to maintain homeostasis and reproduce?//

Beginning to answer this question allows us to understand how individual cells can come together to produce a larger organism with advanced capabilities, how groups of cells perform specific functions to maintain a stable internal environment and how organisms reproduce and leave offspring for the next generation of life.

By studying anatomy and physiology we learn about our bodies and our health, and we can understand disease and develop cures/treatments for those diseases.

http://humananatomyandphysiologyhq.com/wp-content/uploads/2011/07/Human-Anatomy-And-Physiology.bmp