Fields of study
Due to the extremely broad subject, the study of biology requires a division into fields of study, an approach somewhat "simplistic", but with the advantage of clarifying the issues, which is to define levels of organization. In order to achieve a more comprehensive understanding of the biology, natural bridges are created between different disciplines.
Structure of living
Areas studying the structure of living are at the scale of the atom to the molecular biology and cell to cell biology.
The field of molecular biology studies the basic compounds of life, as the DNA and proteins. For years it was believed that the laws of chemistry govern the living were different from those for inanimate matter. But since the synthesis of many organic compounds, it is clearly recognized that the laws of chemistry are the same as for inorganic matter. No vital force n'insuffle life to matter as we thought before, with the vitalistic theory.
The development of the microscope with which Robert Hooke discovered cells in 1665 marked the birth of cell biology and of a world so unexpected. This discovery and many that followed helped to explain certain phenomena as what was described at the time of spontaneous generation. At this level we encounter the first living organisms.
Anatomy and Physiology
The skeleton of man(image in the right).
Appearance of different skeletons from the Larousse 1922.
Taken under structural and functional biology also covers all disciplines, classical and modern, studying structures like tissues with histology or bodies with anatomy. Physiology for its studies the principles of mechanical, physical and biochemical properties of living organisms and is separated into two parts: the plant physiology and animal physiology.
Diversity and evolution
The extreme diversity of life does not change the grouping by entities or taxa (taxonomy), their relationships to each other and their classification (systematic).
Interactions
The interactions between living things and their connections between them and their environment is the field of ecology. Ethology as she was studying animal behavior in the natural environment.