Biology: Quick Facts

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Last updated

Nov. 7, 2026

News •

Noise pollution changes biology or behavior in 80% of animal species studied • Nov. 6, 2026, 1:20 PM ET (Phys.org)

Proposed computer framework could connect Alzheimer's data to guide personalized care • Oct. 19, 2026, 11:20 AM ET (Medical Xpress)

Microplastics React With Water, a New Study Says. That’s a Problem for Biology • Oct. 17, 2026, 5:00 AM ET (WIRED)

Photos and Videos

biology; microscope

Illustration comparing three cell types: a round animal cell and an irregularly shaped plant cell, both showing labeled organelles, and an elongated bacteria cell with labeled structures such as flagella and capsule.

Diagram illustrating three types of natural selection-stabilizing, directional, and diversifying-showing how each affects the distribution of beetle phenotypes in a population over multiple generations. Shaded areas indicate phenotypes selected against, and arrows show shifts in population traits.

Yersinia enterocolitica

Clusters of ripening red dates hang from the trunks of date palm trees (Phoenix dactylifera) in a green, grassy grove.

Library of Alexandria

Albertus Magnus

Gregor Mendel's discovery of heredity laws

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Topics

evolution Philosophy of biology radiobiology electroosmotic hypothesis endosymbiont hypothesis extraterrestrial hypothesis health physics neuroscience hydrobiology neurobiology physical science Earth sciences geology computer Internet construction cell Origins of agriculture Metabolism heredity

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Key People

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Edward Fred Knipling

American entomologist

Charles Darwin

Charles Darwin

British naturalist

Huxley, Thomas Henry

Thomas Henry Huxley

British biologist

Painting by Albert Edelfelt showing Louis Pasteur in his laboratory, holding a glass flask and examining it intently, surrounded by scientific equipment on a workbench.

Louis Pasteur

French chemist and microbiologist

British naturalist Alfred Russel Wallace

Alfred Russel Wallace

British naturalist

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Ian Wilmut

British biologist

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

Jean-Baptiste Lamarck

French biologist

E.O. Wilson

E.O. Wilson

American biologist

Buffon, engraving by C. Baron after Drouais, 1761.

Georges-Louis Leclerc, count de Buffon

French naturalist

Marcello Malpighi

Marcello Malpighi

Italian scientist

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Lancelot Thomas Hogben

English scientist

Oil painting by Jan Verkolje showing Antonie van Leeuwenhoek seated at a table with a globe, papers, inkstand, and a compass in hand, wearing a brown robe and white shirt.

Antonie van Leeuwenhoek

Dutch scientist

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Charles Elton

English biologist

Alfred Sherwood Romer, 1965

Alfred Sherwood Romer

American biologist

Andreas Vesalius

Andreas Vesalius

Belgian physician

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Theodosius Dobzhansky

American scientist

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Rudolf Jaenisch

German biologist

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George B. Schaller

American environmental conservationist and author

Weismann, August

August Weismann

German biologist

Conrad Gesner.

Conrad Gesner

Swiss physician and naturalist

greylag. Flock of Greylag geese during their winter migration at Bosque del Apache National Refugee, New Mexico. greylag goose (Anser anser)

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Model of a molecule. Atom, Biology, Molecular Structure, Science, Science and Technology. Homepage 2010 arts and entertainment, history and society

Science Quiz

greylag. Flock of Greylag geese during their winter migration at Bosque del Apache National Refugee, New Mexico. greylag goose (Anser anser)

Biology Bonanza