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Story: Life sciences

Life science disciplines

Modern life science discipline Description
Bacteriology The study of bacteria
Biochemistry The chemistry of living organisms
Biogeography The distribution of plants and animals
Bioinformatics The development and application of computational methods in biology
Biophysics The use of the methods and theories of physics to study biological systems
Biostatistics The application of statistics to biology
Botany The study of plants
Cell biology The study of life at the cellular level
Ecology The study of how organisms interact with their environment
Entomology The study of insects
Ethology The study of animal behaviour
Evolutionary biology The study of evolutionary processes
Freshwater biology/ecology The study of freshwater life and ecosystems
Genetics The study of biological inheritance
Genomics The analysis of genomes (an organism’s DNA or RNA)
Marine biology/ecology The study of saltwater life and ecosystems
Microbiology The study of microscopic organisms
Molecular biology The study of life at the molecular level
Mycology The study of fungi
Parasitology The study of parasites
Physiology The study of how living organisms function
Soil science The study of soils, including their biological components
Systematics/systematics biology The study of biological diversity and its origins
Taxonomy The classification of living organisms
Virology The study of viruses
Zoology The study of animals

This table shows some of the life science disciplines being studied in the 2010s. The list is not comprehensive, but does give an idea of the diversity of the life sciences in the early 21st century.

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How to cite this page

Peter Clayworth, Life sciences – Beginnings, 1769–1900, Te Ara – the Encyclopedia of New Zealand, https://teara.govt.nz/en/interactive/44084/life-science-disciplines (accessed 25 June 2026).

Story by Peter Clayworth, published 27 January 2014.