Why did you choose biology?

[StJohnRiver]

Main Question or Discussion Point

Why did you choose biology? Why not chemistry or physics? Is there something about the utter complexities of life that draw you to this discipline?

 

[Pythagorean]

What about biochemistry or biophysics?

 

[StJohnRiver]

Uhm, interesting, yes, those too could be included under the biology category. But why not unbiological chemistry or unbiological phhysics?

 

[Pythagorean]

Uhm, interesting, yes, those too could be included under the biology category. But why not unbiological chemistry or unbiological phhysics?

Matter of personal taste. I did my undergrad in pure physics because I considered it the most fundamental science (I still do). But I became really fascinated with abiogenesis and evolution in the context of emergent comlpexity, so I've veered towards biophysics.

I can't tell you why not those things, but I can tell you why biology, or especially in my case, neuroscience: it's very relevant to understanding something about the human condition and human behavior.

 

[Ryan_m_b]

For me it's the astounding complexity of biological systems and the keen interest in medicine. We've never come close to creating something as complex and adaptive as an organism and in some respects it's both humbling and inspiring to look at the metabolic pathways in a cell and see how they mindlessly lead to life.

Aside from this I hate illness. Hate it. Perhaps it's because I grew up with family members and friends who had long term and often crippling illnesses (witnessing my late grandmother's paralysis at age 5 had a huge impact on me) but if I can spend my life adding an increment of knowledge that could relieve some of that suffering I can die happy.

 

[mishrashubham]

For me it's the astounding complexity of biological systems and the keen interest in medicine. We've never come close to creating something as complex and adaptive as an organism and in some respects it's both humbling and inspiring to look at the metabolic pathways in a cell and see how they mindlessly lead to life.

+1

It's the complexity in biological systems that amazes me too. It is really amazing to see how living systems actually even exist despite all natural forces trying to tear it apart, through process that are perfectly within the laws of physics, that there is not vital principle of life and all of it happens on its own. As a 'system' therefore, an organism or a cell really interests me. Also evolution as a process of acuumulation of this complexity (in a way that is) is extremely fascinating.

 

[Nii Sapu]

I personally find living systems–or nearly living ones for that matter–far more interesting then inanimate ones. Understand life at the most fundamental levels is just extremely gratifying to me, but things like acoustics and electrodynamics are so boring to me.

 

[mazinse]

I wanted to study the pathogenesis of diseases and cure them. Oh there is plenty of chemistry in there, not much physics anymore. Kind of miss it.