Biologist

Francesco Redi, founder of biology
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A biologist is a scientist who conducts research in biology.[1][2] Biologists are interested in studying life on Earth, whether it is an individual cell, a multicellular organism, or a community of interacting populations.[1] They usually specialize in a particular branch (e.g., molecular biology, zoology, and evolutionary biology) of biology[3] and have a specific research focus (e.g., studying malaria or cancer).[4]

Biologists who are involved in basic research have the aim of advancing knowledge about the natural world.[1] They conduct their research using the scientific method, which is an empirical method for testing hypotheses.[1][5] Their discoveries may have applications for some specific purpose such as in biotechnology, which has the goal of developing medically useful products for humans.[1][6]

In modern times, most biologists have one or more academic degrees such as a bachelor's degree, as well as an advanced degree such as a master's degree or a doctorate.[3][7][8] Like other scientists, biologists can be found working in different sectors of the economy such as in academia, nonprofits, private industry, or government.[9]

  1. ^ a b c d e Urry, Lisa; Cain, Michael; Wasserman, Steven; Minorsky, Peter; Reece, Jane (2017). "Evolution, the themes of biology, and scientific inquiry". Campbell Biology (11th ed.). New York: Pearson. pp. 2–26. ISBN 978-0134093413.
  2. ^ Janovy, John Jr. (2004). "Naturalists". On becoming a biologist (2nd ed.). University of Nebraska Press. pp. 1–33. ISBN 9780803276208.
  3. ^ a b Nurse, Paul (2015). "STEM education: To build a scientist". Nature. 523 (7560): 371–373. doi:10.1038/nj7560-371a.
  4. ^ Tachibana, Chris (5 October 2017). "The scientific swerve: Changing your research focus". Science. Archived from the original on 5 July 2022. Retrieved 22 June 2021.
  5. ^ Hofmann, Bjorn; Holm, Soren Breien (2015). "Philosophy of science". In Laake, Petter; Benestad, Haakon Breien; Olsen, Bjorn R. (eds.). Research Methodology in the Medical and Biological Sciences: From Planning and Preparation to Grant Application and Publication. New York: Elsevier Science. pp. 1–42. ISBN 9780128001547.
  6. ^ Hillis, David M.; Sadava, David; Hill, Richard W.; Price, Mary V. (2014). "Biotechnology". Principles of Life (2nd ed.). Sunderland, Mass.: Sinauer Associates. pp. 253–272. ISBN 978-1464175121.
  7. ^ Gould, Julie (2015). "How to build a better PhD". Nature. 528 (7580): 22–25. Bibcode:2015Natur.528...22G. doi:10.1038/528022a. PMID 26632571. S2CID 4464045.
  8. ^ Heppner, Frank; Hammen, Carl; Kass-Simon, G.; Krueger, William (1990). "A "de facto" Standardized Curriculum for US College Biology and Zoology". BioScience. 40 (2): 130–134. doi:10.2307/1311346. JSTOR 1311346. Archived from the original on 2021-06-25. Retrieved 2021-06-20.
  9. ^ Woolston, Chris (2018). "Satisfaction in science". Nature. 562 (7728): 611–614. Bibcode:2018Natur.562..611W. doi:10.1038/d41586-018-07111-8. PMID 30356203.