Biological
The term biological can be contrasted with that of artificial, which refers to something that is not produced randomly by nature and is invariably made by the work of humans or, in limited cases, other creatures.
Biological, therefore, refers to that which is living or natural. Biological is an inflection of the word biology, which describes the science of various different forms of life. In fact, biology is not merely the study of animal groups comprising mammals, amphibians, fish, birds, reptiles and insects - biology includes the entire spectrum of living organisms, including bacteria, viruses, trees and so on. Nevertheless, biology is itself divided into specific categories of study, such as microbiology, which refers to the study of micro–organisms, zoology, which refers to the study of animals, and botany, which refers to the study of plants. There are also subcategories including molecular and cellular biology.
German naturalist and professor of medicine and mathematics, Gottfried Treviranus, is regarded as one of the first to use the term biology. The work produced by Treviranus could be considered an early form of evolutionism, and laid the foundations for Charles Darwin. Modern biology, however, has developed considerably since its early days. Indeed, the science is now founded upon five underlying principles that serve to unify biology. These principles can be loosely headed in terms of cell theory, in that all living organisms comprise at least one cell, evolution, which essentially describes natural selection, homeostasis, which refers to how organisms exist internally, genes, which refers to DNA, and energy, which is essential for the continued existence of any living organism. Biological can also describe something that has been synthesized from living organisms.
