biology
Let an agent treat biology as a discipline with fields, methods, evidence standards and institutions, separate from the organisms it studies.
Research draft, second pass
A second pass drafted this model: the structure a model of this thing needs, and what is known about it in the world. The line under this one says how the second half was obtained - researched against sources, or recalled without web access, in which case nothing here was read anywhere and every claim is a lead to verify. Unreviewed either way.
written by Claude from model knowledge without web access - no source was read, every claim is a lead to verify
Researched by: Claude
Purpose and description
Let an agent treat biology as a discipline with fields, methods, evidence standards and institutions, separate from the organisms it studies.
The natural science that studies living organisms, their structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution and interactions, from molecules to ecosystems.
What it is for: Understanding life, and grounding medicine, agriculture, conservation and biotechnology.
It can be study and teach it; conduct research, under ethical and biosafety rules; publish and review findings; apply it, in medicine, agriculture and industry.
Distinguishing features
A discipline, not the organisms
Divided into many fields and scales
Relies on experiment, observation and evolution as a unifying theory
Governed by research ethics and biosafety rules
What it looks like
Laboratories, field sites, collections, journals and university departments; the discipline itself has no appearance.
How it is recognised
Research articles, textbooks and courses labelled by field
Institutions and societies in the life sciences
Organisms themselves are separate entries
Related models
is a kind of - alongside physics and chemistry
studies - animals, plants, fungi, microbes
underpins - applied disciplines
is confused with - the discipline is not its subject
In practice
Families and kinds
molecular and cell biology
genetics and genomics
physiology and anatomy
ecology and evolution
zoology, botany, microbiology, mycology
applied fields such as forest pathology and animal nutrition
Identifiers
field classification OECD FORD 1.6 Biological sciences research classification
Standards and regulation
Research ethics and animal research law such as EU Directive 2010/63
Biosafety levels and the Biological Weapons Convention
Nagoya Protocol on genetic resources
Failure modes and hazards
Irreproducible results
Biosafety lapses
Dual-use research that could enable harm, which agents must not help with
Also called
+721
Where this came from
wikidata · CC0 1.0
Also registered as vr.tr.biology
Drafted structure
Bundle to layer to finding to question, as the second pass will find it: 4 bundles · 8 layers · 8 findings · 16 questions.
Scope Fields and scales.
Biology spans molecules to ecosystems; the field locates any claim.
Field
Sub-discipline.
Field
Which field a question belongs to.
- Which field of biology does this question belong to? definition
- Which neighbouring fields are relevant? definition
Scale
Molecule to ecosystem.
Level of organisation
The level studied.
- At which level of organisation is this studied? definition
- Does a finding at one level transfer to another? boundary
Methods and evidence How knowledge is made.
Evidence strength decides how far a claim can be trusted.
Methods
Experiment, observation, modelling.
Methods
The method used.
- Which method produced this finding? provenance
- What are its limitations? boundary
Evidence strength
Replication and review.
Evidence quality
Peer review and replication.
- Has the finding been peer reviewed and replicated? provenance
- Is it consensus or contested? boundary
Ethics and safety Rules for research.
Research on living things is regulated.
Ethics
Animal and human research.
Ethics approval
Approvals required.
- Which ethics approvals did this research need? provenance
- How were animals or participants protected? boundary
Biosafety and dual use
Containment and misuse.
Biosafety
Containment and misuse risks.
- Which biosafety level applies? boundary
- Could this information enable harm, and should it be withheld? boundary
Institutions Where biology is done.
Institutions, journals and societies carry the discipline.
Bodies
Universities, institutes, societies.
Institutions
Key institutions.
- Which institutions lead research on this topic? provenance
- Which journals publish it? provenance
Education
Courses and qualifications.
Education
How it is taught.
- How is this field taught, and at which levels? definition
- Which qualifications are recognised? provenance
What the second pass must settle
- Should fields of biology be separate entries?
- How should agents assess the strength of biological evidence?
- How should dual-use limits be represented?