The life sciences comprise the fields of science that involve the scientific study of living organisms – such as microorganisms, plants, animals, and human beings – as well as related considerations like bioethics. While biology remains the centerpiece of the life sciences, technological advances in molecular biology and biotechnology have led to a burgeoning of specializations and interdisciplinary fields.

1. What is life science?
Shenghua Yao

2. About science:
The word “science” comes from the Latin "scientia," meaning
knowledge.
Science is an organized collection of knowledge about the world.
Science is a way of finding out why things happen as they do.
A practitioner of science is known as a scientist.
Science knowledge is based on testing and
observations.

3. How is science studied?
Begins with observations about our surroundings.
Next, ask questions about the phenomenon we
are observing.
Followed by generating a hypothesis.
 Tentative explanation to the question.
Testing:
 Scientists perform tests to determine the
accuracy of their hypothesis.
Explanation
 It is a hypothesis that has passed the widest
and most comprehensive series of tests.
theory = well demonstrated principle.

4. Branches of science

5. What is life science?
The scientific study of the areas of
science that deal with living things is
called life science.

6. Branches of life science
anatomy
physiology
 study of the parts of the body
 study of how the whole body functions

7. Branches of life science
Zoology
Zoologists study animals.
Marine biologist and
veterinarian are two of
the careers in zoology.
Botany
Botanists study plants.
Some careers in botany
are plant geneticist and
horticulturalist.

8. Branches of life science
Microbiology
Microbiologists study viruses
and very small living things.
Two careers in microbiology
are cell biologist and
epidemiologist.
Ecology
Ecologists study the way
living things interact with
their environment. Park
ranger and environmentalist
are careers in ecology.

9. Branches of life science
genetics; molecular biology; cell biology;
developmental biology; evolution; toxicology,
etc.
interdisciplines:
bioinformatics; biophysics; structural biology,
etc.

10. People choose specific subjects to study and
this is called specialization.
A person who studies or works in one part of
a subject is called a specialist.

11. Life science affects our life in many ways.
 Medical advances
 Addressing needs of growing human population
 Challenges of decreasing rate of biodiversity
 Biotechnology advances

12. Medical advances
Penicillin is a group of antibiotics derived from Penicillium fungi.
Alexander Fleming, a bacteriologist who is
credited with discovering penicillin in 1928.
Penicillium fungi could secrete penicillin
which is a substance with antibiotic
properties.

13. Medical advances
Life science is closely connected to modern medicine.
The medicine for acne.
The causes and warning signs of
cancers are learned from scientific
research.
Doctors can perform
operations because they
know about the parts of body
and how they work.

14. Addressing needs of growing human population
The Facts:
More than 7 billion people currently inhabit the planet, compared to
only 3 billion in 1967. Every year about 135 million people are born
and 55 million people die, adding 80 million to our global population.
Population growth is a root cause of many environmental and social
problems:
 Over 1 billion people do not have enough food and safe drinking water.
 Global warming is disrupting our ecosystems and threatening
billions of people with dislocation.
 Energy sources, from wood to oil, are becoming scarcer and
harder to reach or extract.

15. Addressing needs of growing human population
food ecology
biotech brings new energy resources

16. Challenges of biodiversity
The quagga is an extinct
subspecies of the plains zebra
that lived in South Africa.
The Irish elk was one of the
largest deer that ever lived. It
stood about 2.1 metres tall at the
shoulders carrying the largest
antlers of any known cervid (a
maximum of 3.65 m from tip to tip
and weighing up to 40 kg)..

17. Challenges of biodiversity
baiji
(a freshwater dolphin)
giant panda
Sumatran tiger mouse lemurs

18. Biotechnology advances
Yogurt is bacterial fermented milk with live
active cultures. Those live active cultures are the
good bacteria that increase the beneficial bacteria
in our digestive tract and help boost immunity.
Some types of mold are used to make cheese. These
molds are safe to eat.
Some wines must be made by these
grapes which are infected by
Botrytis Cinerea.

19. Thanks!