Nabil on Biology
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A short introduction!
I am Nabil Alizadeh and welcome to my page on Biology! Please feel free to check out either of my featured projects, my blog, or my featured video (links below)! Although I am interested in a lot of aspects of the science, including Genetics, Molecular Biology, Anatomy and Botany, over the last year I have grown an interest in specific areas of conservation, ecology and biodiversity. My future career aspirations include working in these areas, especially tackling the biodiversity crisis that we are currently facing.
What is Biology?
Biology is quite literally the science of life, deriving from greek words 'bios' (life) and 'logos' (study of). Due to its broad nature, biology divides into numerous specialised fields that cover a wide range of topics including botany, anatomy, microbiology, zoology, ecology, and conservation. Biology can be studied at multiple levels of organisation, ranging from molecular biology, looking at how individual molecules interact with each other, to ecology, investigating relationships between organisms and their environment.
Why is Biology Important?
Studying Biology helps us understand the living world around us, something that is so complex in the number of layers it contains that there are currently always questions to be asked and experiments to be carried out. The study of organisms and their vital processes has endless potential to help amend problems in the world around us, whether it be through advances in immunology, biotechnology or conservation biology. Understanding the natural world is not only crucial in the current biodiversity and climate crises, where mass extinctions have typically been preceded by extreme climate shifts and declining population abundance, but also in different diseases and pandemics that have hit the world, drastically impacting lives if there are not measures (vaccines, drug therapies, quarantines) in place to combat them.
Why does Biology attract me?
There are a few main reasons why Biology interests me, the first being because it is so beautifully broad, while still allowing one to investigate specific areas of the subject. Its broad nature allows its study to help tackle worldwide problems including global biodiversity losses and global warming, something which I am extremely passionate about as one of my main career aspirations include having a positive impact on the world around me.Another reason why Biology attracts me is due to its complex logical explanations to a wide variety of questions that may seem simplistic. For example, in regards to why leaves fall off certain plants in the winter, biology reasons this through the energy net gain being negative for broad-leaved plants in certain periods of the year, hence it is beneficial for leaves to fall of in cold periods.
A photo I took, depicting a worker (female) honey bee foraging for nectar and pollen
Finally, perhaps the most important reason for my passion for the subject is my love for animals and the environment. I was always interested in pursuing a career which connected me to this love whilst continuing my academic endeavours, and biology research proves the perfect way to do so! While being a passionate hiker and outdoor lover my whole life, I originally became introduced to the subject outside of the classroom through having an aquarium. My animal of interest is currently the western honey bee, apis mellifera, where I am particularly interested in the mechanisms of colony decision making in the phenomenon 'swarming', as this can provide useful information for humans on how to conduct decision making most optimally.
The final photo I took of my Beta fish, which died soon after due to severe bloating
I hope you enjoy these blog posts, and perhaps even use them to fuel your own investigations into the world of Biology. If you wish to discuss any of the material I have published, my contact details are below!
07761216179
