Final answer:
Biology is the science that studies life and its processes, encompassing the study of living organisms and their interactions with each other and their environment. It covers a wide range of topics from cellular biology to ecosystems and includes applied branches like medicine and virology.
Step-by-step explanation:
The area of science that studies life and its processes is called biology. Biology is a natural science concerned with the study of living organisms and their interactions with each other and the environment. Topics within biology are diverse, ranging from the cellular processes that give rise to life, to the characteristics of organisms, and the vast biodiverse ecosystems.
Crucially, biology attempts to describe and understand the nature of the universe as it pertains to life forms. While it addresses fundamental questions about life itself, biology also covers applied sciences like medicine, where understanding living organisms is essential to human health. For instance, virology, a branch of biology, specifically focuses on viruses, which are unique in their interaction with life since they exhibit some – but not all – characteristics of living organisms.
Biology is a broad and intricate field, encompassing the study of the very small, like molecular biology, to the very large, like ecology. This discipline is crucial for the understanding and preservation of life on Earth, making it an indispensable part of the natural sciences.