Biology

Course summary

Biology is at the cutting edge, whether in personalised medicine, enhancing food security, understanding the impacts of actions on other species or in the development of wildlife surveillance. Innovation in such areas is profoundly important to the future of life. Biology is the science of life. Biology studies life from the biggest units, the biomes and ecosystems to the smallest including the organelles and the genes. The study of biology aims to pursue beyond mere observations, it strives to discover the mechanisms behind the observations. Biology is quickly changing, the advances are happening at a phenomenal rate, and it is an exciting time to be a biologist. A good biologist has a wide range of transferable skills, they ask probing questions and show resilience and determination. Good biologists have clear language skills and use mathematics to support their arguments. They are interested in how processes happen and in the consequences if systems are disturbed. They are driven by asking questions, performing experiments and scrutinising evidence. Biologists are bright, interested people who don’t rest until they understand how. Biology is a facilitating A-level which means that it is a qualification that universities favour for access to many degrees.