What is Biochemistry?
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Do you study biochemistry in your school? How do you like it?
Definition of biochemistry
Biochemistry1 is the branch of science that explores the chemical processes that take place inside all living things, from bacteria to plants and animals.
Biochemistry is a relatively new laboratory-based science which emerged as a separate discipline when scientists combined biology with organic, inorganic, and physical chemistry, and began to study issues like how living things obtain energy from food, the chemical basis of heredity, and what fundamental changes occur in disease.
Areas of study
Biochemistry has helped to develop our understanding of living organisms and has played an important role in contributing to advances in many areas1, including medicine, agriculture, and protection of the environment.
Since biochemistry is the study of life at the molecular level, it provides the foundations of a wide range of other scientific disciplines, among which are genetics, forensics, microbiology and plant science.
Biochemists examine what happens inside our cells by studying how the different components of our cells work together and allow the cell to function and how they communicate with each other.
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1 “Biochemistry is the science of life. All our life processes – walking, talking, moving, feeding – are essentially chemical reactions. So, biochemistry is actually the chemistry of life, and it's supremely interesting.” – Aaron Ciechanover (Israeli biologist)
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1 Do you share Aaron Ciechanover’s opinion that biochemistry is “supremely interesting”?
Can you name any of its many applications?
Progress achieved
Progress in the biochemical understanding of the mechanisms behind many serious diseases has led to investigate possible cures for illnesses such as cancer and AIDS, and to find new medicines.
Biochemistry also helps us to decode the genetic information found in our DNA. Biochemists have discovered that everyone has their own unique genetic code, or 'genetic fingerprint', which has led to huge developments in forensic and genetic investigations.
Biochemistry also contributes to protecting the environment by fighting pollution and designing biocompatible products. The genetic engineering of plants has led to advances in agriculture, which include crop improvement and resistance to pests and disease.
Plant biochemistry largely deals with photosynthesis – how plants metabolize carbon dioxide and sunlight to create sugars and release oxygen. It also studies how some plants can filter out contaminants in the environment and break them down into harmless components.
