Five Major Trends In Biology: Evolution In The Field Of Applied Biology
K Muralidhar, professor of zoology, University of Delhi, talks about five new and emerging trends in this natural science:
1. Computer Modelling: Biologists now use computers to solve problems, especially those which cannot be studied through laboratory experiments. This could include analysing the current scenario and deciding on which cereal to grow or which staple to promote (such as marine food, if an island-state's land mass is small)
2. Biology Related To Diseases: Biomedical research is a major area in India whether it's for vaccines or antidotes
3. Research Outside Medicine: Biologists are increasingly studying biological phenomena not linked to the field of medicine, such as ecological evolution.
4. Sustainable Development: Given the dispute between biodiversity conservation and human welfare (by using biological resources), there's a focus on sustainable development. For instance, instead of chopping trees for some purpose, find out ways to utilise fallen leaves or seeds.
5. Addressing Higher Questions: This involves analysing the biological bases to ethics and morals - trying to answer higher questions in life. For example: population control. From an economic perspective, a large population is a burden. Here, we can learn lessons from biology, from the insect world, from ants, which have a mechanism to limit population growth. If you look at a hive, it has a limit - the bee population doesn't grow like Delhi's.
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Author: Rahat Bano (HT Horizons)
Date: 5th February, 2011
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