Of all the sciences, biology has got to be the most complex field of study. I'm not saying that because I'm a biologist. It's a fact... in my opinion (does that make it less of a fact?).
Take for example, a single cell at the tip of your finger. It contains over 10,000 different kinds of proteins. Now imagine, the largest and most complex organization or company in the world. Could you honestly say there's some corporation with that many job posts? Even the most advanced machines mankind has developed pale in comparison to any of these cells.
The human brain is perhaps the most complex thing we know of. It has more connections than all the internet and electrical connections of the world. Besides the fact that we still have no clue how the relationship between our thoughts and brains work out, it stands apart as a machine with sophistication beyond anything we are capable of making or even conceiving.
So what does this have to do with mastering biology?
The answers lies in the connections and relationships of every biological system you study. Everything is related and tied together in biology. Tiny and seemingly insignificant molecular changes in a single cell type can alter an organism. When a number of organisms are thus affected, that change is then translated into the environment, which then works it ways back to the level of molecules.
This is key in mastering biology. You have to be able to see the bigger picture no matter how microscopic the image you're studying is. The opposite is also true. In my experience as a researcher, I haven't seen too many scientists who have developed this key practice. This is a skill you can learn and it starts by asking the right questions, like the following:
How does this relate to what we previously studied?
Have I seen anything similar before? (You'll find a lot of repetitive principles in nature.)
What would happen if this process didn't exist?
How is this important to the survival of the cell? The organism? The environment?
So learn to see how the concepts you are learning fit into the general scheme of things... and suddenly, you'll find that biology actually makes sense!
The Apprentice's Compass - Navigate University!
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| Photo credits: Shutterstock-Sergey Neven |
The human brain is perhaps the most complex thing we know of. It has more connections than all the internet and electrical connections of the world. Besides the fact that we still have no clue how the relationship between our thoughts and brains work out, it stands apart as a machine with sophistication beyond anything we are capable of making or even conceiving.
So what does this have to do with mastering biology?
The answers lies in the connections and relationships of every biological system you study. Everything is related and tied together in biology. Tiny and seemingly insignificant molecular changes in a single cell type can alter an organism. When a number of organisms are thus affected, that change is then translated into the environment, which then works it ways back to the level of molecules.
This is key in mastering biology. You have to be able to see the bigger picture no matter how microscopic the image you're studying is. The opposite is also true. In my experience as a researcher, I haven't seen too many scientists who have developed this key practice. This is a skill you can learn and it starts by asking the right questions, like the following:
How does this relate to what we previously studied?
Have I seen anything similar before? (You'll find a lot of repetitive principles in nature.)
What would happen if this process didn't exist?
How is this important to the survival of the cell? The organism? The environment?
So learn to see how the concepts you are learning fit into the general scheme of things... and suddenly, you'll find that biology actually makes sense!
Now it's your turn: What do you think? Does biology really make sense? Why or why not?
By Marc Mikhael, Ph.D.The Apprentice's Compass - Navigate University!
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