The number and variety of life processes and evolutionary developments in living things are so vast and complex that the biological sciences encompass many areas of specialization. Nearly any field concerned with living things, either directly or indirectly, requires the services and talents of biologists. Jobs in biotechnology involves the development of medicine to combat disease, conservation measures to protect the environment, agricultural products to enhance and increase production, and even support systems for life in space.
The biotechnology and its related sciences developed slowly in the course of human history. With the dawn of civilization, people began to structure their approach to science. Aside from simply observing the world around them, early humans used what they could learn to further their basic needs. For example, the establishment of agriculture incorporated some scientific knowledge. The basic information was the understanding that from one type of seed one type of plant would grow. The more complex biological knowledge involved when to plant, when to water, and how to harvest seeds for the next season.
It was only with modern man that Biology developed into what we may term an exact science. As primitive biologists of sorts, our ancestors learned the basics of relative biotechnology jobs. They were able to differentiate between desirable and undesirable plants, to live in the more habitable environments, to domesticate plants, and animals and to utilize the living matter about them for shelter, clothing, and food. Eventually, plants were classified as herbs, shrubs, and trees, and animals were classified as land, water, or flying organisms. Later on, beginnings were made it the study of how the organism functioned and how it was related to the other organism about it. Thus, we also had the beginnings of zoology which refers to animal science and botany.
The ancient Egyptians had substantial knowledge relative to biotechnology jobs dealing also with the mummification of human body and its organs. During the process of mummification, important body organs were removed and preserved. Some written records indicate the awareness that the heart was of major importance in the maintenance of life. Around 500 B.C., Alcmaeon, a student of natural philosophy under Pythagoras, conducted research under Pythagoras, conducted research on the difference between arteries and veins. He studied embryos and documented his findings, including the discovery of the optic nerve.
Aristotle who tend to poise with biology careers was also known for his philosophical writings, also set about to form one of the first documented taxonomic systems for classifying animals. He categorized animals into two types: blooded ( which are the mammals, birds, amphibians, reptiles, and fishes); and bloodless (the crustaceans, insects, and other lower animals). He also studied forms of reproduction and was able to identify and document asexual and sexual forms of reproduction among animals. Aristotle also proposed theories that have since been proven wrong, but which demonstrated some understanding of how embryos develop into animals.
From the 2nd century to the 11th century A.D., the Arabs made important advances in the study of Biotechnology. Unlike the European continent, the Arabians continued to study from the base of knowledge attained by the Greeks. Avicenna, a Persian born in 980A.D wrote the Canon of Medicines, one of the most influential and important publications on medical knowledge of its time in both the East and West. Avicenna studied and wrote on the natural sciences, psychology, astronomy, and numerous other subjects. His publications on medicine were the most influential, although his writings on theology, philosophy, and astronomy also endured. The Canon of Medicines remained the single authoritative work in medical knowledge for seven centuries.
In the book, The Origins of Species, Charles Darwin who seemed to have devoted his life with his biology careers generated the theory of evolution by means of natural selection, coining the terms regarding that only the fittest survives. Meanwhile, the famous French doctor Louis Pasteur developed the field of immunology. Many of the achievements that were gained in the 19th century were done specifically because of improvements in the microscope, allowing scientists to see much smaller structures than they have ever been able to isolate before. The 19th century is considered the age of cellular biology because of advances made in cell study. Nearly a third of the total number of biological scientists who have been engaged with biotechnology jobs work in private industry for pharmaceutical, chemical, and food companies and for research laboratories. On the other hand, roughly the same number hold appointments with such nature of biotech jobs in colleges and universities.
