Third Grade Biology
Biology is directly connected to life science. Being defined as the study of living things, we've learned that it has a lot to do with the animals and plants that we find on our planet. Up until now, we have seen and studied biology and life science as the study of living things and what they need in order to survive happily on earth. There is more to this science that just that, however, and your child will get their first understanding of this in the third grade.
The understanding of how living organisms work and what they need to survive has led biology into several branches in which the principles that are learned and observed are applied. These applications are tested through experiments to see if they can be used to better life on earth. Sometimes it involves taking something from one species in order to help the survival of another. If you've ever taken any medicine, you have experienced applied biology firsthand. Many of our medicines are derived from plants which provide extracts that the human body can use to help fight disease.
One branch of biology that applies what it's learned from observing plants and animals is genetics. Have you ever had a seedless grape? Did you know that grapes originally had seeds? The production or growing of seedless fruit is directly related to studies made by biologists, botanists in particular. Seeds are a trait that all plants and vegetables have. However, through genetic study, cross breeding and various experiments, scientists have found ways to deliver seedless fruit all the time. This makes eating fruits much easier, especially in the case of grapes.
Other applications of genetics that we can see and have access to are genetically modified organisms (GMO.) These organisms are usually vegetables which biologists have modified genetically (within the plant's cell code or DNA structure.) There is a movement against GMOs though, as many people believe organically grown produce is better.
Another example of applying genetics is seen in the cloning of animals. Not many people know that cloning does happen naturally with asexual animals or animals that can reproduce on their own. The sea anemone is one example of such an animal. In the world of biotechnology, however, cloning means copying an animal which does not have asexual abilities by copying its DNA structure and replicating it. These studies are also very controversial.
So how did biologists get to this point that they are able to not just study living things but actually modify them? It all started with a man named Gregor Mendel and his discovery of genetics, the science which studies heredity, gene inheritance, and variation among living organisms.
Next Article: Gregor Mendel's Genetics
