Biochemistry

What is biochemistry, and how does it differ from the fields of genetics, biology, chemistry, and molecular biology?

Biochemistry is the study of all of the chemical processes present in living organisms.(encyclopedia.com) The only way that biochemistry differs from all of the fields listed above is that it is a combination of all of them not a derivation. Each of the above stated fields contribute their own piece to what makes up biochemistry. Biomolecules, proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, nucleic acids, and the genetic code are all included in the study of biochemistry and each of those is extensively covered in one or more of the above fields.

Genetics is the study of the effect of genetic differences on organisms. Biochemistry is clearly a huge component of biology that studies the basic building blocks; Cells are the basic unit of life, new species and inherited traits are the product of evolution, genes are the basic unit of heredity, living organisms consume and transform energy, and an organism will regulate its internal environment to maintain a stable and constant condition.

Subdisciplines of biology are recognized on the basis of the level at which organisms are studied and the methods used to study them: biochemistry examines the basic chemistry of life and molecular biology studies the complex interactions of systems of biological molecules. Individuals need to have a familiar background in chemistry, biology, genetics and molecular biology to fully comprehend what is indeed happening in the various chemical reactions within an organism.(Biochemistry, Campbell & Farrell)

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