Final answer:
Biology is the science that studies life and is closely related to the Latin word 'scientia', meaning knowledge. It encompasses various scientific disciplines and impacts everyday life through medical and environmental advancements. Biology involves studying the interactions of living organisms, as well as the nature of life itself, including emerging scientific fields.
Step-by-step explanation:
Biology comes from the Greek words ‘bios’ meaning life and ‘logia’ meaning study, which collectively translate to ‘study of life’. Although not directly from Latin, the term closely links to the Latin word ‘scientia’, meaning knowledge, which is a foundational element in the study of all sciences, including biology.
By definition, biology is the science that studies living organisms and their interactions with one another and with their environment. As a natural science, it attempts to describe and understand the very nature of life and shares common attributes with other scientific disciplines like chemistry and physics, including adherence to the fundamental laws of thermodynamics in life processes such as metabolism and reproduction.
Biology is not only about understanding the characteristics of life and classifying living things but also integrates exciting and emerging sciences like neurobiology, genetic engineering, and molecular biology. It greatly impacts our everyday world through advances seen in medicine, environmental science, and the understanding of our own biology and evolution.