molecular biology

Word family

• molecular biologist
  nounC1

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

For noun/1, molecular biology is the broad field that studies life through DNA, RNA, proteins, and other small parts inside cells. Genetics overlaps with it but stays more centered on genes, inheritance, and variation. Biochemistry focuses more on chemical substances and reactions, such as how enzymes break food down or how cells use energy. Cell biology looks at the structure and behaviour of whole cells, so it usually works at a slightly larger scale. In practice, these areas often meet in the same lab, but the label changes the angle: a student might take molecular biology to learn gene expression, biochemistry to learn reaction pathways, and cell biology to understand how cells divide.

Common collocations

Etymology

The phrase combines molecular, from molecule, with biology, a word built from Greek roots meaning 'life' and 'study'. As scientists began to explain heredity and cell activity through DNA, proteins, and other tiny structures, molecular biology became the standard name for this line of research.