History Of The Biological And Life Sciences
The biological sciences have only a short formal history. It was the ancient Egyptians who first demonstrated a detailed knowledge of the human body and an understanding of other animal and plant life some 4,000 years ago. When the Egyptians mummified bodies, they removed and preserved the major organs for study. There is written evidence that they found the heart to be of special importance and described it as central to the maintenance of life. This human curiosity led to the study of other aspects of anatomy and the biological life processes in general. While prehistoric humans can certainly be considered novice biologists-those who distinguished, sometimes fatally, between edible and inedible plants were certainly ancient taxonomists-there was only a most rudimentary study of living organisms until the time of the Egyptians.
Later the ancient Greeks became the first to systematically study, classify, and document the life processes. Around 500 B.C., Alcmaeon, a student of Pythagoras, the great philosopher and mathematician, conducted experiments that led him to distinguish between arteries and veins. Other Greeks studied sexual and asexual reproduction, categorized species, explored the anatomy of humans, and proposed the process of evolution. All of this accumulated knowledge was, however, lost to the West during the Christian Dark Ages when all scientific study was considered heretical and violently suppressed by the Church and its fanatical followers. The great library of Alexandria was burned, and many intellectuals were brutally murdered. Arabs, who were beyond the territorial influence of the religious zealots, continued the study of biology and the other sciences throughout this period. During this time, many important scientific advances were made, including enduring works on medicine, botany, and agronomy.
After several decades of intellectual suppression, reason finally reemerged in the West, and eventually many important scientific breakthroughs were made. In the 13th century, for example, Albertus Magnus wrote 33 books on botany with detailed descriptions of plant anatomy and propagation. In the 16th century, a complete anatomy of the human body was completed, and blood circulation was discovered. In the 17th century the discoveries of cell and microscopic life were made. In the 19th century Charles Darwin in his book The Evolution of Species detailed the process of evolution, and Louis Pasteur developed the field of immunology. In the late 1800s Dmitri Mendeleev and Julius Meyer presented the periodic table of elements, which assigned an atomic weight and molecular count to all known elements.
In the 20th century thousands of advances in the biological sciences have occurred. Just in the past 20 years, more discoveries have been made than in all of previous history combined! Among the most important are the isolation of the DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) strand-the transmitter of genetic information for all living matter-and advances in biotechnology-the manipulation of genetic coding to alter certain traits or characteristics in living organisms. The biological sciences offer unlimited possibilities to study global life processes. The scientists and technicians who work in this field are making important discoveries that will help to solve pollution problems, decrease our dependence on nonrenewable energy sources, establish criteria for population control, and help feed the starving masses. The scientist or team behind each discovery needs only the proper tools and scientific imagination to help humanity achieve these important goals.
Work in the biological sciences is heavily oriented toward research. Nearly half of all those employed in the biological sciences conduct basic research, either in the laboratory or in the field. More than one-third of biological scientists and technicians work at colleges, universities, and secondary schools, and a substantial amount of basic research is conducted on college campuses. In addition, biological scientists with advanced degrees often teach and conduct other routine academic duties.
About the same proportion of biological scientists and technicians work in private businesses and industry. The largest employers in industry are pharmaceutical, chemical, and food companies. In addition, a large number of research laboratories and consulting forms employ biological scientists.
Government agencies are also major employers of biological scientists and technicians. In the federal government, employment opportunities can be found in the Department of Agriculture at the Agricultural Research Service, Forest Service, Soil Conservation Service, and the Extension Service. In the Department of the Interior, biological and life scientists work for the National Park Service, the Fish and Wildlife Service, and the Bureau of Land Management. State departments of agriculture and environmental protection are also large employers. Nonprofit organizations hire a number of biological science workers.
Professions Related To The Biological Sciences
- Forester Range Manager
- Soil Conservationist
- Horticulturist
- Botanist
- Agronomist
- Animal Ecologist
- Aquatic Ecologist
