Scientific progress is based ultimately on unification rather than fragmentation of knowledge. At the threshold of what is widely regarded as the century of biology, the life sciences are undergoing a profound transformation. They have long existed as a collection of narrow disciplines with well-defined territories. Now they are undergoing consolidation, forming two major domains: one extending from the molecule to the organism, and the other extending to the super-organism by bringing together population biology, biodiversity studies, and ecology.

What should I know before starting biology?

If you are curious about biology or plan to study it in the future, you may be wondering what "prerequisites" it has – that is, what other knowledge will give you a solid foundation to learn biology. If so, big kudos for thinking ahead!

In our opinion, the only strict prerequisites for biology are curiosity, an open mind, and a willingness to think critically about the natural world. If you have those, you can start learning biology without other background, as long as you're willing to pick up bits of chemistry, physics, statistics, and math along the way.

That said, you may find your journey through biology smoother and more satisfying if you already have some familiarity with topics in other areas, particularly chemistry.

Even the IITs across the country are adapting to a new reality. Over the last decade, at least six IITs — Kanpur, Kharagpur, Delhi, Bombay, Madras and Guwahati — have introduced Biology or Life Science as a compulsory course for undergraduate students across engineering branches. At IIT Kharagpur, a compulsory course, namely ‘Science of Living System’, was introduced as early as 2010. It is meant for students of all branches in their second year