Biochemistry vs molecular biology (vs genetics, microbio, cell bio, microbio, systems bio, physio)

There are no strict distinctions between biology-related sub-disciplines (we are after all, largely trying to study the same things, just from different perspectives and at different “levels”) but here’s a rough guide to how I think about things…

* Biochemistry - intersection of chemistry and biology, with a focus on the structure & function of macromolecules (proteins, nucleic acids, lipids, etc.) and *mechanisms* by which they act and interact to make life possible
* lots of emphasis on enzymes as well as metabolic pathways

* Molecular biology - more focus on cellular processes, especially those involving genetic information (transcription, translation, replication, etc.) and the molecules involved, as well as ways to artificially manipulate DNA - biotech stuff

* Microbiology - deals with whole organisms, just tiny ones - different types of bacteria, fungi, viruses, etc. - how they are similar and different, how they affect the environment, how they can sometimes cause disease, & how they can be experimentally classified

* Genetics - deals with how genetic information is encoded and transmitted; large focus on Mendelian inheritance; may include genomics - genetics with large datasets and incorporating things like epigenetic modifications and the 3D arrangement of chromatin

* Microbiology - deals with whole organisms, just tiny ones - different types of bacteria. fungi, & viruses - how they are similar and different, how they affect the environment, how they can sometimes cause disease, & how they can be experimentally classified

* Cell biology - more focus on what naturally goes on within and between cells - intracellular compartmentalization, cell-to-cell communication, extracellular matrices, etc.

* Physiology - deals with what goes on function-wise at the tissue and organismal levels - typically broken up into “systems” (renal system, nervous system, respiratory system, etc.)

* Systems biology - looks at the interconnectedness of systems like those by analyzing large datasets measuring lots of things (metabolite levels, gene expression, protein modifications, genomics, etc.); thinks of things in terms of networks; computational craziness…

[FullCodedAlchemist]

Please keep making videos ! Even small videos like these make a difference because a simple Google search doesn't really give a clear answer of the distinction between all these -ologies, and students may be afraid to ask since it seems like something that should be simple enough to understand and pick up. You're doing great work making science more accessible and understandable, and we need more people like you.

[ghaidamoria]

You are saving my entire research thesis year, please know your hard efforts have been the most crucial part. Thank you so much for you contribution and the kindness you bring to the world