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 Biochemistry
Biochemistry is the "Chemistry of
Life," the study of the chemistry of living cells, tissues, organs,
and organisms. It seeks an understanding of every aspect of the structure
and function of living things at the molecular level, including, for
example, how enzymes, hormones, and genes work and how organisms get
energy. Biochemists work with all types of biological organisms, including
animals, plants, and microorganisms. Biochemistry is closely linked to
various other biological sciences, such as Cell Biology, Genetics,
Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Physiology, Pharmacology, and Toxicology.
In fact, in many cases the distinctions between these disciplines are
becoming increasingly blurred. Biochemists, working with colleagues in
other disciplines, have discovered how to produce, through cloning
techniques, therapeutically important proteins such as human insulin and
blood clotting factors. Biochemists also developed DNA fingerprinting,
which is used in forensic science and in the diagnosis of inherited
disease. (Source: adapted from The Biochemical Society)
Related Associations:
 The Biochemical Society
Related Links:
Biochem4schools
Biochemist Evolution Magazine
Biochemistry
Across the School Curriculum
Glossary
of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Bioinformatics
and Biostatistics
Bioinformatics, sometimes called Computational Biology, is the use of
techniques from applied mathematics, informatics, statistics, and computer
science to solve biological problems. Sequencing the human genome was a
great accomplishment by geneticists, but the task of understanding the
sequences and patterns of millions of building blocks requires new
approaches that the field of Bioinformatics is developing. These scientists
develop new tools to help search and analyze huge databases, such as the
human genome or protein structures. They also create models and derive
predictions to help understand the complex mechanisms of life process in an
array of organisms. Biostatistics and Biometrics are fields that use
statistical methods and mathematics to better understand biology. These
scientists formulate models to describe (and explain) underlying mechanisms
of fundamental life processes, whether behavior in a population or
molecular properties. They also interpret data across a wide range of
fields, including agriculture, biology, and medicine. Clinical
biostatisticians are concerned with the design and interpretation of
clinical research, including clinical trials, ensuring that the results are
significant and seeking early indicators of efficacy or unanticipated
adverse effects. (Source: adapted from the Blueprint Initiative and ASA
Biometrics Section)
Related Associations:
American Statistical Association,
Biometrics Section
IEEE - Computational Intelligence Society,
Bioinformatics
and Bioengineering Technical Committee
International Society for Clinical
Biostatistics
International Society for Computational Biology
MidSouth
Computational Biology & Bioinformatics Society
Related Links:
Bioinformatics.net
Blueprint Initiative
National Center for Biotechnology
Information
Biophysics
Biophysics is
that branch of knowledge that applies the principles of physics and
chemistry and the methods of mathematical analysis and computer modeling to
understand how biological systems work. Biophysics is a molecular science.
It seeks to explain biological function in terms of the properties of
specific molecule and the larger structures into which these molecules
assemble (such as chromosomes and membranes). Sometimes this involves
designing and building new laboratory instruments. Research in Biophysics
addresses fundamental questions such as how cell membranes selectively
transport water-soluble molecules across the lipid structure or how a
muscle cell converts the chemical energy of ATP into mechanical force and
movement or how sound waves are detected by the ear and converted into
electrical impulses that provide the brain with information about the
external world. Some of the research addresses questions relevant to
medicine, such as the mechanisms of action of cancer drugs or methods for
measuring glucose concentration in the blood of diabetics. (Source: adapted
from the Biophysical Society)
Related Associations:
Biophysical Society
Cell and Molecular Biology
Cell Biology is the study of the structure and function of
cells, how they grow, divide, and die, how they develop into larger
clusters with unique properties, how they send signals to one another, and
how all of these processes may go awry to cause diseases such as cancer.
Molecular Biology is closely tied to Cell Biology, but focuses on research
questions and techniques at the subcellular level. Molecular Biology has
also become synonymous with a set of techniques to study biomolecules such
as DNA, RNA, and proteins -- how the function of these
molecules are regulated and coordinated. In other words, the study
of how genes are turned "on" and "off" as needed, and
how chemical or other changes in the molecules relate to subtle changes in
their structure and function as an organism matures, encounters a new
environment, or becomes ill. (Source: adapted from American Society for
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology)
Related Associations:
American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular
Biology
American Society for Cell Biology
International Union of Biochemistry and
Molecular Biology
Society
of Cell Biology
Related Links:
BioMoleculesAlive.org
Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Education
Magazine
Ecology/Environmental
Science
Ecology is the study of where and how plants, animals, and microorganisms
live and interact in the land, water, and air. This discipline is concerned
with the relationships among organisms and their past, present, and future
environments. The relationships include physiological responses of
individuals, structure and dynamics of populations, interactions among
species, organization of biological communities, and processing of energy
and matter in ecosystems. Many scientists involved in conservation of
natural resources and preserving endangered species are trained as
ecologists. The study of specific environments may have a separate name,
such as Marine Biology (the study of organisms living in oceans and seas).
Some ecologists have a special interest in evolution and how specific
plants or animals have adapted to changes in their environment (often over
long periods of time). Others ecologists are interested in the more
immediate impact of changes such as the introduction of species or
chemicals that are not native to the environment. (Source: adapted from
Ecological Society of America)
Related Associations:
British Ecological Society
Ecological
Society of America
Related Links:
National Wildlife Federation
Environmental Education
Entomology
Ecology is the study of Entomology is the study of insects and their
relationships to the environment, humans, and other organisms. More than
one million species of insects have been identified around the world. Some
entomologists work in the outdoors (fields, forests, lakes, cities, etc.),
others in laboratories and/or classrooms, and yet others work in offices,
with regulatory or administrative responsibilities. Entomologists, in their
study of insects, make contributions to a wide array of fields, including
agriculture, health, and forensics. Some insects, for example, are
agricultural pests while others are beneficial, indeed essential, to crops.
TV programs have also made everyone aware of the study of insects in the
analysis of some crime scenes. Insects also are vectors of disease, and
studies with that orientation focus on insect life cycles, the development
of control measures, and how insects become resistant to insecticides.
(Source: adapted from the Entomological Society of America)
Related Associations:
Entomological Foundation
Entomological Society of America
Genetics
Each organism makes copies of the genes that it inherits from its parents
and then transfers these copies to its offspring. Genetics is the study of how
genetic information is communicated including: what genes are, how they are
duplicated and transferred, how they change in individuals by mutation and
in populations by selection during evolution, how they are expressed to
produce cells and organisms, and how they can be manipulated to improve
agriculture and cure genetic diseases. The consideration of genetic
questions has become a component of virtually every area of biology,
allowing scientists to design experiments that help them understand normal
life processes and what happens when these processes are disrupted by
disease. The impact of genetic information on medicine is rapidly increasing,
as is the role of genetic counselors, who help
patients understand their own risk of disease and/or the risk of passing a
genetically based disease to their children. Genetic engineering is a field
that works toward treating (or preventing) disease by replacing faulty
genes. (Adapted from Genetics Society of America)
Related Associations:
American Society of Human Genetics
Genetics
Society of America
International Federation of Human Genetics
Societies
Related Links:
American
Society of Human Genetics Educational Resources
Centers for Disease Control
and Prevention,
Office of Genomics and Disease
Prevention Information
Genetic Science Learning Center
Human Genome Project
Kids Genetics
(GlaxoSmithKline)
National Human Genome Research Institute
Immunology
Immunology is the study of all aspects of the
immune system, the system responsible for protecting organisms from foreign
invaders. In humans, the immune system is involved in mediating allergic
responses, fighting infectious disease, rejecting transplanted tissues and
organs, and autoimmune disorders (such as multiple sclerosis) in which the
body "attacks" itself. Immunologists are interested in the cells that
make up the immune system and how they interact and function including:
their influence on other systems of the body; malfunctions of the immune
system in immunological disorders (autoimmune diseases, hypersensitivities,
immune deficiency, graft rejection); and the physical, chemical, and
physiological characteristics of the components of the immune system. This
knowledge is used to develop new drugs and vaccines. Immunology also is
important to solving public health challenges such the emergence of drug
resistant strains of bacteria and viruses or understanding changes that
allow infectious microbes to "jump" from animals to humans.
(Source: adapted from Wikipedia and The American Association of
Immunologists)
Related Associations:
American Association of Immunologists
British Society for Immunology
Clinical Immunology Society
Related Links:
Immune System Glossary
The Vaccine Page
Marine
and Aquatic Biology
Marine Biology is the study of animals, plants, and microorganisms that
live in or near a salt water environment. Aquatic Biology, a broader term,
includes not only marine studies, but also Limnology, the study of fresh
water organisms. These scientists are interested in the marine and
freshwater organisms' growth and development, their behavior, including
communication among themselves, and their interactions with their
environment. Some of these biologists study a particular organism, while
others study many organisms in a particular region, climate, or ecological
niche. The studies overlap with all of biology: ecology, genetics,
neuroscience, and physiology, to name just a few of the fields included in
Marine Biology and Limnology. Some of the concerns of the field are basic
research, understanding the world of marine and fresh water environments.
Other concerns are more practical, such as how to deal with organisms that
foul power plant intake pipes or surfaces of ships, improving the yield and
commercial quality of aquaculture, or the impact of ship sonar on
communication among marine mammals. (Source: adapted from
MarineCareers.net)
Related Associations:
American Society of Limnology and Oceanography
American Zoo and Aquarium Association
Association of Science
- Technology Centers
Association of Zoological Horticulture
Related Links:
MarineCareers.net
Marinebio.org
Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
Microbiology
Microbiology is the study of the world of
organisms too small to be seen with the naked eye. Microbes include
viruses, bacteria, molds, protozoans, and other tiny creatures. Microbes
cause disease, ferment alcoholic beverages, influence the quality and taste
of our food, and are responsible for decay in nature. Microbiologists study
how these organisms grow and reproduce and how they adapt to their
environment. Some scientists specialize in the study of microorganisms
growing in exotic environments, such as hot springs, hydrothermic
vents in the ocean, or glaciers. Other microbiologists are closely allied
to medicine, studying, for example, how bacteria cause disease and how they
become resistant to antibiotics. Genetics and biochemistry are very
important tools for microbiology, and vice versa. The extensive
characterization and rapid growth of microbes has allowed them to be used
as experimental tools in other branches of biology. For example, the modern
study of how genes work depended on pioneering studies of gene function in
viruses and bacteria. (Source: adapted from American Society for
Microbiology)
Related Associations:
American Society for Microbiology
Waksman Foundation for Microbiology
Related Links:
MicrobeLibrary
MicrobeWorld
Note: Some resources in this section are provided by JGPerpich, LLC
and the US Department of Labor, Bureau of
Labor Statistics.
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