Natural science is a branch of science concerned with the description, prediction, and understanding of
natural phenomena, based on
empirical evidence from
observation and
experimentation. Mechanisms such as
peer review and repeatability of findings are used to try to ensure the validity of scientific advances. Natural science can be divided into two main branches:
life science and
physical science. Life science is alternatively known as
biology, and physical science is subdivided into branches:
physics,
chemistry,
astronomy and
Earth science. These branches of natural science may be further divided into more specialized branches (also known as fields).
Physical science Physical science is an encompassing term for the branches of natural science that study non-living systems, in contrast to the life sciences. However, the term "physical" creates an unintended, somewhat arbitrary distinction, since many branches of physical science also study biological phenomena. There is a difference between physical science and physics.
Physics Physics (from ) is a
natural science that involves the study of
matter{{NoteTag|
Richard Feynman begins
his Lectures with the
atomic hypothesis, as his most compact statement of all scientific knowledge: "If, in some cataclysm, all of scientific knowledge were to be destroyed, and only one sentence passed on to the next generations ..., what statement would contain the most information in the fewest words? I believe it is ... that
all things are made up of atoms – little particles that move around in perpetual motion, attracting each other when they are a little distance apart, but repelling upon being squeezed into one another. ..." More broadly, it is the general analysis of
nature, conducted in order to understand how the
universe behaves. Physics is one of the oldest
academic disciplines, perhaps the oldest through its inclusion of
astronomy. Over the last two millennia, physics was a part of
natural philosophy along with
chemistry, certain branches of
mathematics, and
biology, but during the
Scientific Revolution in the 16th century, the
natural sciences emerged as unique research programs in their own right. Certain research areas are
interdisciplinary, such as
biophysics and
quantum chemistry, which means that the boundaries of physics are not
rigidly defined. In the nineteenth and twentieth centuries
physicalism emerged as a major unifying feature of the
philosophy of science as physics provides fundamental explanations for every
observed natural
phenomenon. New ideas in physics often explain the fundamental mechanisms of other sciences, while opening to new research areas in mathematics and philosophy.
Chemistry Chemistry (the etymology of the word has been much disputed) is the
science of
matter and the changes it undergoes. The science of matter is also addressed by
physics, but while physics takes a more general and fundamental approach, chemistry is more specialized, being concerned by the composition, behavior (or reaction), structure, and properties of
matter, as well as the changes it undergoes during
chemical reactions. It is a
physical science which studies various
substances,
atoms,
molecules, and matter (especially carbon based). Example sub-disciplines of chemistry include:
biochemistry, the study of
substances found in
biological organisms;
physical chemistry, the study of chemical processes using physical concepts such as
thermodynamics and
quantum mechanics; and
analytical chemistry, the analysis of material samples to gain an understanding of their
chemical composition and
structure. Many more specialized disciplines have emerged in recent years, e.g.
neurochemistry the chemical study of the
nervous system.
Earth science Earth science (also known as
geoscience,
the geosciences or
the Earth sciences) is an all-embracing term for the
sciences related to the
planet Earth. It is arguably a special case in
planetary science, the Earth being the only known
life-bearing planet. There are both
reductionist and
holistic approaches to Earth sciences. The formal discipline of Earth sciences may include the study of the
atmosphere,
hydrosphere,
lithosphere, and
biosphere, as well as the
solid earth. Typically Earth scientists will use tools from
physics,
chemistry,
biology,
geography,
chronology and
mathematics to build a quantitative understanding of how the Earth system works, and how it evolved to its current state.
Geology Geology (from the
Ancient Greek γῆ,
gē ("earth") and -λoγία,
-logia, ("study of", "discourse")) is an
Earth science concerned with the
solid Earth, the
rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which they change over time. Geology can also include the study of the solid features of any
terrestrial planet or
natural satellite such as
Mars or
the Moon. Modern geology significantly overlaps all other Earth sciences, including
hydrology and the
atmospheric sciences, and so is treated as one major aspect of integrated
Earth system science and
planetary science.
Oceanography Oceanography, or
marine science, is the branch of
Earth science that studies the ocean. It covers a wide range of topics, including
marine organisms and
ecosystem dynamics;
ocean currents,
waves, and geophysical fluid dynamics;
plate tectonics and the geology of the seafloor; and
fluxes of various chemical substances and physical properties within the ocean and across its boundaries. These diverse topics reflect multiple disciplines that oceanographers blend to further knowledge of the world ocean and understanding of processes within it:
biology,
chemistry,
geology,
meteorology, and
physics as well as
geography.
Meteorology Meteorology is the
interdisciplinary scientific study of the
atmosphere. Studies in the field stretch back millennia, though significant progress in meteorology did not occur until the 17th century. The 19th century saw breakthroughs occur after observing networks developed across several countries. After the development of the computer in the latter half of the 20th century, breakthroughs in
weather forecasting were achieved.
Astronomy Space science is the study of everything in outer space. This has sometimes been called
astronomy, but recently astronomy has come to be regarded as a division of broader space science, which has grown to include other related fields, such as studying issues related to
space travel and
space exploration (including
space medicine),
space archaeology and science performed in
outer space (see
space research).
Biological science Life science, also known as
biology, is the
natural science that studies
life such as
microorganisms,
plants, and
animals including
human beings, – including their
physical structure,
chemical processes,
molecular interactions,
physiological mechanisms,
development, and
evolution. Despite the complexity of the science, certain unifying concepts 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.
Biochemistry Biochemistry, or
biological chemistry, is the study of
chemical processes within and relating to living
organisms. It is a sub-discipline of both biology and chemistry, and from a
reductionist point of view it is fundamental in biology. Biochemistry is closely related to
molecular biology,
cell biology,
genetics, and
physiology.
Microbiology Microbiology is the study of
microorganisms, those being
unicellular (single cell),
multicellular (cell colony), or
acellular (lacking cells). Microbiology encompasses numerous sub-disciplines including
virology,
bacteriology,
protistology,
mycology,
immunology and
parasitology.
Botany Botany, also called
plant science(s),
plant biology or
phytology, is the
science of
plant life and a branch of
biology. Traditionally, botany has also included the study of
fungi and
algae by
mycologists and
phycologists respectively, with the study of these three groups of organisms remaining within the sphere of interest of the
International Botanical Congress. Nowadays, botanists (in the strict sense) study approximately 410,000
species of
land plants of which some 391,000 species are
vascular plants (including approximately 369,000 species of
flowering plants), and approximately 20,000 are
bryophytes.
Zoology Zoology () is the branch of
biology that studies the animal kingdom, including the
structure,
embryology,
evolution,
classification,
habits, and distribution of all
animals, both living and
extinct, and how they interact with their ecosystems. The term is derived from
Ancient Greek ζῷον,
zōion, i.e. "
animal" and λόγος,
logos, i.e. "knowledge, study". Some branches of zoology include:
anthrozoology,
arachnology,
archaeozoology,
cetology,
embryology,
entomology,
helminthology,
herpetology,
histology,
ichthyology,
malacology,
mammalogy,
morphology,
nematology,
ornithology,
palaeozoology,
pathology,
primatology,
protozoology,
taxonomy, and
zoogeography.
Ecology Ecology (from , "house", or "environment"; , "study of") is a branch of
biology concerning interactions among
organisms and their
biophysical environment, which includes both
biotic and
abiotic components. Topics of interest include the
biodiversity, distribution,
biomass, and
populations of organisms, as well as cooperation and competition within and between
species.
Ecosystems are dynamically interacting systems of
organisms, the
communities they make up, and the non-living components of their environment. Ecosystem processes, such as
primary production,
pedogenesis,
nutrient cycling, and
niche construction, regulate the flux of energy and matter through an environment. Organisms with specific life history traits sustain these processes. == Social sciences ==