Biology is the natural science that studies life and living organisms, including their physical structure, chemical processes, molecular interactions, physiological mechanisms, development and evolution.

  Despite the complexity of the science, there are certain unifying concepts that consolidate it into a single, coherent field. Biology recognizes the cell as the basic unit of life, genes as the basic unit of heredity, and evolution as the engine that propels the creation and extinction of species. Living organisms are open systems that survive by transforming energy and decreasing their local entropy to maintain a stable and vital condition defined as homeostasis. Sub-disciplines of biology are defined by the research methods employed and the kind of system studied: theoretical biology uses mathematical methods to formulate quantitative models while experimental biology performs empirical experiments to test the validity of proposed theories and understand the mechanisms underlying life and how it appeared and evolved from non-living matter about 4 billion years ago through a gradual increase in the complexity of the system. The biology laboratory is a modern research infrastructure, providing a broad range of biological and biochemical techniques with in-depth practical training offered by experienced staff. Important routine work is on microbial and molecular analyses and biological sample preparation in general. Several special applications, such as respiration experiments, enzyme kinetics, sterile culturing of microalgae, morphological taxonomic determination of fish larvae, or fatty acid sample preparation to characterize the nutritional status and composition of marine plankton. All these techniques ground on long standing expertise and a well-equipped facility (high precision scale, photometers, Fast Prep, Casey Cell counter and more). Importance of biology lab for students. The study of biology provides students with opportunities to develop an understanding of our living world. Laboratory and field activities and inquiry provide students with opportunities to question, observe, sample, experience, and experiment with scientific phenomena in their quest for knowledge of living things.