Misplaced Pages

This is an old revision of this page, as edited by Evad37 (talk | contribs) at 04:23, 3 February 2014 (→Astrobiology: copy from main article). The present address (URL) is a permanent link to this revision, which may differ significantly from the current revision.

This is Misplaced Pages's current article for improvement – and you can help edit it! You can discuss how to improve it on its talk page and ask questions at the help desk or Teahouse. See the cheatsheet, tutorial, editing help and FAQ for additional information. Editors are encouraged to create a Misplaced Pages account and place this article on their watchlist. Find sources: "List of life sciences" – news · newspapers · books · scholar · JSTOR

Part of a series on
Science
General
History Literature Method Philosophy
Branches
Formal Natural Physical Life Social Applied
In society
Communication Community Education Funding Policy Pseudoscience Scientist
Science portal Outline Category Article indexes Glossaries
v t e

The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms – such as microorganisms, plants, animals, and human beings – as well as related considerations like bioethics. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of specializations and interdisciplinary fields.

Some life sciences focus on a specific type of life. For example, zoology is the study of animals, while botany is the study of plants. Other life sciences focus on aspects common to all or many life forms, such as anatomy and genetics. Yet other fields are interested in technological advances involving living things, such as bio-engineering. Another major, though more specific, branch of life sciences involves understanding the mind – neuroscience.

The life sciences are helpful in improving the quality and standard of life. They have applications in health, agriculture, medicine, and the pharmaceutical and food science industries.

The following is an incomplete list of as well as topics of study in the life sciences, in which there is considerable overlap between many entries:

Topics of study

Affective neuroscience

Affective neuroscience is the study of the neural mechanisms of emotion. This interdisciplinary field combines neuroscience with the psychological study of personality, emotion, and mood.

Anatomy

Anatomy is the study of the body plan of animals. In some of its facets, anatomy is closely related to embryology, comparative anatomy and comparative embryology, through common roots in evolution. Human anatomy is important in medicine.

The discipline of anatomy is subdivided into gross (or macroscopic) anatomy and microscopic anatomy. Gross anatomy is the study of structures that can, when suitably presented or dissected, be seen by unaided vision with the naked eye. Microscopic anatomy is the study of structures on a microscopic scale, including histology (the study of tissues) and cytology (the study of cells).

The history of anatomy is characterized by a continual development in understanding of the functions of the organs and structures of the human body. Methods have also improved dramatically, advancing from examination of animals through dissection of cadavers (dead human bodies) to 20th century techniques including X-ray, ultrasound, and magnetic resonance imaging.

Astrobiology

Astrobiology is the study of the origin, evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe: extraterrestrial life and life on Earth. This interdisciplinary field encompasses the search for habitable environments in our Solar System and habitable planets outside our Solar System, the search for evidence of prebiotic chemistry, laboratory and field research into the origins and early evolution of life on Earth, and studies of the potential for life to adapt to challenges on Earth and in outer space. Astrobiology addresses the question of whether life exists beyond Earth, and how humans can detect it if it does. (The term exobiology is similar but more specific — it covers the search for life beyond Earth, and the effects of extraterrestrial environments on living things.)

Astrobiology makes use of physics, chemistry, astronomy, biology, molecular biology, ecology, planetary science, geography, and geology to investigate the possibility of life on other worlds and help recognize biospheres that might be different from the biosphere on Earth. Astrobiology concerns itself with interpretation of existing scientific data; given more detailed and reliable data from other parts of the universe, the roots of astrobiology itself—physics, chemistry and biology—may have their theoretical bases challenged. Although speculation is entertained to give context, astrobiology concerns itself primarily with hypotheses that fit firmly into existing scientific theories.

Earth is the only place in the universe known to harbor life. However, recent advances in planetary science have changed fundamental assumptions about the possibility of life in the universe, raising the estimates of habitable zones around other stars and the search for extraterrestrial microbial life. On 4 November 2013, astronomers reported, based on Kepler space mission data, that there could be as many as 40 billion Earth-sized planets orbiting in the habitable zones of sun-like stars and red dwarf stars within the Milky Way Galaxy. 11 billion of these estimated planets may be orbiting sun-like stars. The nearest such planet may be 12 light-years away, according to the scientists.

Biochemistry

Biocomputers

Biocontrol

Biodynamics

Bioinformatics

Biology

Biomaterials

Biomechanics

Biomedical science

Biomedicine

Biomonitoring

Biophysics

Biopolymers

Biotechnology

Botany

Cell biology

Cognitive neuroscience

Computational neuroscience

Conservation biology

Developmental biology

Ecology

Environmental science

Ethology

Evolutionary biology

Evolutionary genetics

Food science

Genetics

Genomics

Health sciences

Immunogenetics

Immunology

Immunotherapy

Kinesiology

Marine biology

Medical devices

Medical imaging

Medical Sciences

Medical Social Work

Microbiology

Molecular biology

Neuroethology

Neuroscience

Oncology

Optogenetics

Optometry

Parasitology

Pathology

Pharmacogenomics

Pharmaceutical sciences

Pharmacology

Physiology

Population dynamics

Proteomics

Psychiatric Social Work

Psychology

Sports science

Structural biology

Systems biology

Zoology

Scientific societies

• Federation of European Biochemical Societies (FEBS)
• European Molecular Biology Organization (EMBO)
• International Union of Biological Sciences (IUBS)
• Life Sciences Switzerland

See also

• List of biology disciplines
• Outline of biology
• Outline of health science

• Science portal
• Biology portal
• Ecology portal
• Botany portal

References

1. "Life Sciences". Empire State Development Corporation. Government of New York. Retrieved 3 February 2014.
2. Panksepp J (1992). "A role for "affective neuroscience" in understanding stress: the case of separation distress circuitry". In Puglisi-Allegra S, Oliverio A (ed.). Psychobiology of Stress. Dordrecht, Netherlands: Kluwer Academic. pp. 41–58. ISBN 0-7923-0682-1.
3. "Introduction page, "Anatomy of the Human Body". Henry Gray. 20th edition. 1918". Archived from the original on 16 March 2007. Retrieved 19 March 2007.
4. "How the search for aliens can help sustain life on Earth". CNN News. 4 October 2012. Retrieved 2012-10-08. {{cite news}}: |first= missing |last= (help); Check |first= value (help)
5. "About Astrobiology". NASA Astrobiology Institute. NASA. 21 January 2008. Archived from the original on 11 October 2008. Retrieved 2008-10-20. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |deadurl= ignored (|url-status= suggested) (help)
6. Mirriam Webster Dictionary entry "Exobiology" (accessed 11 April 2013)
7. iTWire - Scientists will look for alien life, but Where and How?
8. Ward, P. D. (2004). The life and death of planet Earth. New York: Owl Books. ISBN 0-8050-7512-7. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthors= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
9. "NASA Technical Memorandum 102363". Lewis Research Center, Ohio: NASA. February 1990. {{cite journal}}: |contribution= ignored (help); |first= missing |last= (help); |format= requires |url= (help); Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
10. Altermann, Wladyslaw (2008). "From Fossils to Astrobiology - A Roadmap to Fata Morgana?". From Fossils to Astrobiology: Records of Life on Earth and the Search for Extraterrestrial Biosignatures. Vol. 12. p. xvii. ISBN 1-4020-8836-1. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |editors= ignored (|editor= suggested) (help)
11. Horneck, Gerda (2007). Complete Course in Astrobiology. Wiley-VCH. ISBN 3-527-40660-3. {{cite book}}: Unknown parameter |coauthor= ignored (|author= suggested) (help)
12. Davies, Paul (18 November 2013). "Are We Alone in the Universe?". New York Times. Retrieved 20 November 2013.
13. ^ Overbye, Dennis (4 November 2013). "Far-Off Planets Like the Earth Dot the Galaxy". New York Times. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
14. ^ Petigura, Eric A.; Howard, Andrew W.; Marcy, Geoffrey W. (31 October 2013). "Prevalence of Earth-size planets orbiting Sun-like stars". Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America. doi:10.1073/pnas.1319909110. Retrieved 5 November 2013.
15. Khan, Amina (4 November 2013). "Milky Way may host billions of Earth-size planets". Los Angeles Times. Retrieved 5 November 2013.

Further reading

• Magner, Lois N. (2002). A history of the life sciences (3rd ed., rev. and expanded. ed.). New York: M. Dekker. ISBN 0824708245.

• Life
• Science-related lists