This month we are going to blog about "-ology". The life sciences have a host of sub areas of study that you may or may not have heard of before. For this month's blog I would like to find and share an "-ology" that you might be interested in or one in which you don't know anything about. Please post the name of the area of study and then give a brief overview of what it is and the jobs that are associated with this field. (Let's try not to have any repeats!) I will start us off:
Mycology is the study of fungi, its taxonomy, genetics and chemical properties. Experts in this field work in the medical, and food industries. When I was an undergraduate student at Iowa State University, two of my favorite professors (Dr. George Knaphus and Dr. Louise Tiffany) were world renown mycologists and very good people.
ETHOLOGY: The study of Animal Behavior
ReplyDeleteEthology is the study of animal or human behavior, particularly in 'society' beit human or otherwise collection of animals. Though limited jobs come with this field, it is a good study for those interested in Veterinary Medicine, Animal Sciences, ranch work, Zoology, or animal husbandry. As a student going into Animal Sciences and hopefully pursuing a degree in Veterinary School, this scientific study will be rather pertinent to my career.
Immunology is the study of the structure and function of the immune system. It also deals with how the immune system deals with auto-immune diseases. Researches in this field study the effect of diseases on the immune system and the human body. They try to understand diseases so that cures and treatments can be found. This study could be very important in the future for figuring out how cancer works, and could also help me as I hopefully become a biologist, researcher, or doctor.
ReplyDeleteOphidiology is the study of snakes: their natural history and behaviors. It is a branch of herpetology (the study of amphibians and reptiles), and an ophidiologist would be considered a type of biological scientist. Research and natural science management are options for those with a degree in this field. Generally, a researcher would not be exclusively an ophidiologist but would instead focus on a broader theme of biology such ecology, evolution, or taxonomy, then choose to focus their research on exploring an issue involving snakes.
ReplyDeleteEntomology: the study of insects.
ReplyDeleteWhile historically the term has covered such organisms as arachnids, slugs, etc. as part of a larger field of Anthropology, Entomology studies only insects. Which, is still a broad category, since insects make up two-thirds of all known organisms. This practice is often put into use for pest control, and related industries.
Teuthology is the study of Cephalopods (octopus, squid, etc.). Although Cephalopods are evolutionarily very distant from mammals and human, they have some very human-like developments including a very large brain and sophisticated eyes. They are considered the most intelligent invertebrates. These creatures are able to camouflage miraculously well by both twisting their shape and changing the color of their body to match their surroundings. These creatures obviously have interesting lives full of thought and learning more about their behavior and their advanced brains would be a very interesting field of study. A possible job could be Marine Biologist, Zoologist, or Professor. This is probably not the most useful study in the world in terms of getting a job, but it is fascinating none the less.
ReplyDeletePathology (the study of disease): There are two types of pathology (clinical and anatomical). General pathology combines the two, which is the study of disease that causes a change in the structure of function of body parts. Anatomical pathology is the study and diagnosis of diseases using surgically-removed body specimens or by performing an autopsy. Clinical pathology uses blood, urine, and tissue samples to diagnose a disease. Pathologists are doctors who analyze a given sample, usually in a laboratory. Pathologists can specialize in diagnosing a certain type of disease, including cancer. They work closely with clinicians to decide the best possible treatment for the patient. Other jobs in the field include a medical technologist, forensic technician, cytotechnologist, and medical lab technician.
ReplyDeleteApiology is the study of honey bees. It is a branch of Melittology, the study of all bees. Apiology also includes apicology, the study of honey bee ecology and through this branch of study bees are often used as biological study groups to answer questions concerning social systems. Apiologists can find careers in beekeeping as well as in scientific research.
ReplyDeleteToxicology is a study that combines biology, chemistry, and the field of pharmacology (from medicine) to determine effects of chemicals on living organisms, especially dangerous ones. Many toxicologists work for industries that need to test the safety of such products as therapeutic drugs, food additives, cosmetics, and agricultural chemicals. They generally look for any potential to cause cancer, birth defects, reproductive problems, and they make sure that there’s no chance of neurological toxicity. Toxicology tends to be more research-oriented than involved with field work, but there are two branches (basic: just searching for knowledge and applied: expected to be commercially beneficial). A lot of toxicologists teach students, work for companies, do consultations, participate in research, or work for the government. There is also a subfield called forensic toxicology, which focuses on analysis of chemicals in forensic cases.
ReplyDeleteVirology is the study of viruses, and virus-like agents. Virology is extremely similar to cellular biology, so it is required to have a strong background in both that, and chemistry. Virologists are extremely important to the world because of the work they do to ensure our safety. They are the ones who plan how to fight viral outbreaks, make vaccines, and work in hospitals as specialists. Specifically, the CDC and the government employs a large number of virologists so study the effects of viruses in the hope of protecting the population against them.
ReplyDeleteOsteology is the study of bones. The bones can be human or other animal bones, which leads to different job opportunities. The most obvious job would be an osteologist, who can be involved in fieldwork to determine information about human/animal bones found on a site where digging is happening. Also, they can be be involved in criminal justice to determine information about a dead body that’s found. In Anatomy, we talked a lot about bone structure and studied osteology.
ReplyDeleteAnthrozoologyis: the study of the interactions between humans and other animals. One main focus of anthrozoology is to attempt to comprehend the potentially beneficial effects of mutualistic human-animal relationships. The study has remained popular, primarily, due to scientists identifying a lack of understanding concerning the relationships between humans and other animals; this remains an important goal due to the significance of animal’s symbols, stories and representations throughout nearly all of literature. Other interesting areas of this study include: attempting to understand the significance of the emotional bonds between humans and animals, how domestic animals have evolved from wild species (Paleoanthrozoology), and investigating the similarities between human-animal interactions and human-technology interactions.
ReplyDeleteExobiology is the study of life in outer space. This particular field researches the inhabitable and habitable environments and planets in space and whether humans can adapt and prosper in these environments and conditions. Ultimately, exobiology examines the probability of life existing outside of earth. A recent study has shown that viruses are likely to be encountered on other life bearing planets.
ReplyDeleteNematology is the scientific study of nematodes. Nematodes are a very diverse group flatworms with tubular digestive systems that inhabit a wide range of environments. This area of study interested me because of number of species of nematodes. There have been 25,000 species discovered, of which more than half are thought to be parasitic, and 1 million species estimated. One who studies nematology may choose to become a nematologist where he or she would study nematodes and how they interact with one another and their environment.
ReplyDeleteAeropalynology which can be broken down into aero (air) and palynology (dust, spores) is the study of pollen and spores in the atmosphere. I chose this “-ology” because, like many, I am allergic to pollen and Aeropalynology is extremely important for allergy studies. Aeropalynologists also study how diseases and other things are spread. They can also work inter-disciplinarily with scientists who study plants. An interesting fact about pollen is that it is “highly resistant to decay, being found in rocks many millions of years old” so it can work with archeology as well.
ReplyDeleteAllergology is the study of allergies and their causes and treatments. I chose this ology because I have a lot of food allergies including dairy, eggs, and wheat. a couple jobs associated with this field are allergologists or allergists. Allergologist study and research the causes and treatments of allergies; while allergists focus on allergy treatment and helping people deal with their allergies.
ReplyDeleteOrnithology is the study of birds. Originally, this science focused on simply identifying and classifying different species of birds, but today, it focuses more on tracing the evolutionary history of these animals and investigating their place in the environment. Additionally, the health of a local bird population tends to be a strong indication of the overall environmental health of that ecosystem, so birds are often studied to gauge an ecosystem's well-being. Jobs for ornithologists today tend to be primarily concerned with conservation, and they keep track of endangered species and monitor the habitat, activity, and vitality of birds.
ReplyDeleteOrology
ReplyDeleteThe study of mountains.
This study consists of looking at the relationship between humans and the mountains. These scientists study how humans use mountains to their benefit. As well as how humans change the pattern and overall landscape of said mountains. They also focus on how animals live successfully on this environment. They also help maintain and promote wildlife on mountains. I chose this study because it was the first one I looked at that focused on human in relation to the environment, which I think is what science is all about; finding out how we fit in.
Cetology is the study of Cetaceans i.e. dolphins, whales, and porpoises. This is a subcategory in Zoology. Studying these mammals is interesting because they communicate such as humans would in their own way, they also have similar relationship dynamics. Observing how other species interact will always be beneficial in knowing more about them and how to possibly preserve and aid the species. The main job that is for this is Marine Biology, you could decide then to further specialize into the cetacean area.
ReplyDeleteZoology is the study of animals through observation in lab enviroments and their natural habitats. A person with a zoology degree might work at a zoo, aquarium, or wildlife rehabilitation center. Although some work as educators and researchers, the primary role of most zoologists is to care for animals.
ReplyDeleteMicrobiology - the study of microorganisms. There are an entire host of microorganisms that are pertinent to human life. Whether organisms working symbiotically with us inside our intestinal tract, or pathogens causing illness, it's important to understand how they work.
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ReplyDeleteEcophysiology is the study of the interrelationship between the normal physical function of an organism and its environment. Also known as environmental physiology or physiological ecology, this field of study is closely related to comparative or evolutionary physiology. Scientists in this field study how plants react to conditions such as light, temperature, water, CO2 concentration, and wind as well how Animals react to changes involving thermoregulation and Altitude. The majority of job opportunities in this field are found at Universities and Colleges in the form of Faculty research. With this research scientists like Hermann Rahn, who became a leader in Ecophysiology at the University of Rochester, were able to publish scientific works like Rahn’s A Graphical Analysis of the Respiratory Gas Exchange which included the “landmark” O2-CO2 diagram.
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