Many people have an awareness of Biology at its simplest: The science of life. It sounds pretty broad, but this essential discipline can get very specific—because it covers living matter in all its forms and phenomena, learners can get into the nitty-gritty of the origin, growth, reproduction, structure, and behavior of people, animals, plants, and microorganisms.

There are many critical reasons for learners to study Biology and take advantage of its endless need for research, such as finding solutions for disease prevention, increasing reproductive capabilities, improving mental health, understanding the science of food, shaping public health policies, and an extensive scope of other reasons. With knowledge of how living things function, scientists under the umbrella of Biology can make great contributions to medicine and other key ways to improve the quality of life for living things.

Biology is often studied in conjunction with other sciences, such as Anatomy, Chemistry, Engineering, Physics, Psychology, and even social sciences.

It can’t be overstated that a degree in Biology is highly versatile, thanks to its usefulness in a myriad of industries and other fields. Besides Biologist, learners can enjoy such opportunities as Research Scientist, Pharmacologist, Ecologist, Nature Conservationist, Officer, Zoologist, Botanist, Marine Biologist, Microbiologist, Biotechnologist, Forensic Scientist, Science Writer, Teacher, Professor, roles in government agencies, and countless other careers.

Biology courses offered through Coursera cover a range of subject matter, from basic biological principles to Immunology topics taught by Biology lecturers. Learners can explore practical applications like genome sequences; commercial kits that tell you about your ancestry; debates about evolution; why animals behave the way they do; the molecular biology of cancer; how people have found genetic evidence for natural selection; and many more.