Learn Biology

What is Biology?

Biology is the natural science which studies life and living organisms, including their function, physical structure, chemical composition, development and evolution. It is key in recognizing the cell as the basic unit of life, genes as the basic unit of heredity, and evolution as the engine that fuels the creation and extinction of species. 

Biology has and continues to pave our understanding of our world around us. Early biologists included the likes of Aristotle, who produced his “Ladder of Life” classifying living species, and Darwin, who set down his theory of Evolution. And as early as the 1960s; Watson and Crick recorded the structure of DNA. 

Biology is a vast subject area that can be divided into a large number of branches; take a look at the subdisciplines you can search for in Brainscape:

Anatomy – Histology – Biochemistry –Bioinformatics – Biomechanics – Biomedical research Developmental biology – Botany – Phycology – Plant Physiology – Cell biology – Biotechnology – Cryobiology – Embryology – Gerontology – Ecology – Environmental biology – Evolutionary biology – Genetics – Genomics –  Epigenetics – Immunology – Marine biology – Microbiology – Bacteriology – Mycology – Parasitology – Molecular biology – Neuroscience  Paleontology – Pathology – Pharmacology – Physiology  – Psychobiology –  Zoology – 

Careers in Biology 

Literally, hundreds of careers involve studying Biology from veterinarian assistant to some attorneys. Examples of jobs directly related to a Biology major and postgraduate include:

Biotechnologist
Higher education lecturer
Marine biologist
Microbiologist
Zoologist
Pharmacologist

Biologists may work in educational or industry research facilities applying their knowledge and skills to increasing our understanding and subsequent treatment of diseases. As the human population expands and continues to impact other species, there is a continued demand for zoologists and wildlife biologists to study this; biologists earn a competitive salary. 

If you’re interested in pursuing a career in Biology, you might find The American Institute of Biological Sciences and American Society for Cell Biology useful starting points. There are also a number of biological societies to check out. You can also check out this fun video entitled That’s Why Carbon Is A Tramp from the team at Crash Course kicking off their excellent Biology classes. 

Learning Biology 

In class, Biology majors setup experiments--and learn laboratory techniques and procedures.  Outside of class though, they also need to understand scientific concepts, master scientific terminology, carry out complex mathematical and statistical computations, and learn how to present research findings. 

Brainscape can help Biology students in memorizing complex knowledge and building a firm foundation on which to excel academically and professionally. 

Biology in Brainscape

The Biology pages in Brainscape are packed with flashcards from all types of learners; choose from thousands of free-to-access flashcards prepared by top academic experts as well as like-minded students. 

Brainscape has worked with Next Step Test Preparation to bring you the best AP Biology study guide available--perfect to ace your exams. The guide is a terrific tool as part of your overall prep approach with over 740 cards organized across 13 decks. There’s also MCAT Science Exam Prep flashcards for those that need top MCAT scores. 

Alternatively, make your own flashcards using Brainscape’s smart software. The choice is yours. 

Learn Faster with Brainscape

Brainscape has developed a unique learning method known as Confidence-Based Repetition or (CBR), which is revolutionizing learning. Students can go onto achieve their career goals by learning twice as fast and remembering longer with this game-changing educational tool.  

Brainscape works by uniquely incorporating three tried-and-tested learning methods (spaced repetition, metacognition, and active recall) to produce one remarkable educational tool that is the most powerful learning engine on the market today. 

The first system that Brainscape uses is active recall. You’ll notice when you dig into Brainscape that the answers are not organized into easy-to-recognize patterns. You’ll have to work hard to retrieve the answer and in doing so you will strengthen the neurons and you’ll also be able to retrieve that information more easily later. 

Many computer-aided learning tools use a similar system. However, they show their flashcards randomly. Here’s where Brainscape is different: after reviewing each flashcard, Brainscape will ask you to rate your understanding of the content. This metacognitive rating is then used to individually reshuffle the deck for your optimal learning requirements. 

In practice, say you were studying peptides; it’s not your strongest subject and you therefore record your understanding as a “2”. The algorithm will show this flashcard relatively frequently now until your rating improves. At the same time, as you are improving your understanding of peptides, you won’t be wasting your time going over the genetics topic for which you rated your understanding of the subject as a  “5”. 

It’s this optimal learning system that allows students to learn twice as fast; you can learn twice as much in the same time or reallocate your time. 

The final process in the CBR system is the spaced repetition method of showing bite-sized pieces of information at regular intervals allowing for effective learning. 

Brainscape has incorporated this system throughout our content so there are a host of ways in which learners can take advantage. Read on to find out how to boost your learning with Brainscape.  

How to Get Started

So what's the best way to get started using Brainscape flashcards? 

You can choose from a huge selection of classes and decks, so select a set of flashcards which are suitable for your learning level as well as the course material you’d like to study. 

Click around below to check out the Biology decks above; the options are endless: Nervous Systems, Sensory Mechanisms, Biodiversity, Hormones, Ecology, Neoplasia, Atherosclerosis, etc. Dig in. 

Alternatively you can get started by making your own flashcards by clicking on “make flashcards” at the top of the page. The authoring process is proven to strengthen your memory and it’s your choice to share your cards or keep your learning catalog for your own private use. 

Brainscape is passionate about learning and wishes you the very best in your Biology studies and beyond.