Science

There are many scientific disciplines practiced on earth today

Each one plays an important part towards maintaining the healthy functioning of society and the continued progression of modern civilization. Each is also a highly skilled discipline, normally requiring years of study and specific types of academic qualifications to enter. As such, it means that you’ll be working alongside people doing a job they value not because they have to, but because they love doing what they do. The other rewards are definitely worth it too. Not only will you be entering into a field with great pay, but one that has better than average job security and perks too. Also, as an essential worker, you’ll enjoy all the prestige and job satisfaction that comes with working in a field you love and that has an important part to play within the modern-day economy. That’s why next, we’ll take a look next at some of the main scientific disciplines that can be found within the scientific sector today

Anthropology
Involves the study not only of social aspects related to human culture, but also of biological aspects too. As such, it covers the customs, beliefs, traditions, and social practices of past and present civilizations. It also delves into the study of different language structures and into the evolution of different languages, and how they help shape culture and society as a whole. Lastly, anthropology explores various aspects pertaining to human evolution such as genetics, primatology, and biological variation

Astronomy
This is a science that centres on the exploration and observation stars, planets, and other celestial bodies. Those involved in this branch of science will use powerful ground-based telescopes to observe stars and other planets, as well as undertake in the analysis of data from space based telescopes too

Biology
Biology is concerned with the study of living organisms. As such, it covers a large variety of areas – everything from vertebrates, plant life, to microscopic organisms. It focuses heavily on processes at the molecular and cellular level, and is very important for progressing new advancements in areas like conventional medicine, anti-aging, and other forms of biotechnology, as well as being useful for advancing our knowledge of the evolution of life too

Chemistry
Chemistry involves the study of molecular and chemical compounds. It revolves heavily around the use of mathematics, equations, and the ability to interpret and compose different types of molecular formulas. Important elements involved in this branch of science include things like mass, composition, chemical reactions, and studies around why certain chemical changes occur. Chemistry is a very large branch of science that is used not only to study molecular and chemical compounds, but that is also directly responsible for the development of many different types of essential products too. These include agricultural products like food preservatives, cosmetics like makeup, hygiene products like soap and toothpaste, medicines like cough syrup, and industrial products like cleaners and other agents that can be used to make any number of different household and commercial products (like clothing, dyes, plastics, polymers, and so much more…)

Chemistry as a whole contains many different subfields too. These further increase the types of specialisations available for people interested in this area of science

Analytical Chemistry
At the basic research level, this area of chemistry focuses on the analysis of chemical compounds, wavelengths, colour spectrums, and the absorption that results from changes in chemical compounds. The knowledge gained at this basic level is used in areas of research and development over a wide variety of industries such as food science, pharmaceuticals, and industrial chemical production

Basic Chemistry
As its core function, chemistry is a fundamental science that covers areas pertaining to basic research and education. As such, it centres on things like equations, thermodynamic energy, chemical reactions, and temperature – revolving heavily on experiments and study both in field and laboratory settings

Biochemistry
Studies and researches the biological systems in living organisms. This field is very important at the basic research level, and the work done by people involved in this area of science has allowed for huge advances in the field of biology, enabling things like the mapping of the human genome. The discoveries made in this area are also highly impactful for industries like pharmaceuticals and agriculture

Inorganic Chemistry
As the name suggests, this is a branch of chemistry more concerned with innate materials rather than living organisms. It focuses on chemical reactions and compound composition as a way to understand, enhance, and create new industrial products that can be used for many different types of things like fertilizer, paints, and many other main line chemical products presently used within manufacturing today. As such, the discoveries made in this field are heavily utilised both at the basic and applied levels across a wide variety of industries

Organic chemistry
Organic chemistry involves the study of biochemicals. The big distinction is that while inorganic compounds are inanimate, organic chemicals are made by living things. The main categories of biochemicals include carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, and nucleic acids. The research done in this field is highly important, and is heavily utilised in applied sciences to develop many different types of products across a wide variety of industries such as agriculture, manufacturing, petrochemicals, pharmaceuticals, and many, many, more…

Ecology
Ecology involves the study of plants, animals, and other living organisms within their natural habits. It explores the interactions between those organisms and their environments, and investigates the impact of external forces (such as industrial activity) on such ecosystems

Geography
Geography is a science that investigates both the physical and cultural aspects of the planet. Those who work in this field will study a wide variety of areas including weather and climates, population centres (where they’ll focus on topics such as culture and politics), as well as performing studies on landscape, and on the naturally occurring geographical features within a given region, (including things like its natural resources). As such, it is a science that revolves heavily around fieldwork and the analysis of pre-existing data, meaning the people who work in this branch of science are not only involved heavily in academia, but in certain branches of government too

Geology
Studies phenomena pertaining to earth related features. Studies disaster related phenomena like earthquakes, as well as the climate and industrial processes that can impact them. A career in geology typically involves a lot of fieldwork as well as the research and analysis of pre-existing data through library and internet based sources

Mathematics
While officially categorized as a science, in its most basic form mathematics is concerned with numbers and equations, as well as with spatial and constructive concepts involving the use of mathematical theory. It is utilised almost nascently as a learning tool throughout many scientific disciplines today, allowing people to express important ideas and scientific concepts

Meteorology
Is a science that specializes in the study of the Earth’s atmosphere. Those involved in this branch of science will collect data from places like weather stations, satellites, and weather balloons, and will analyse atmospheric data to learn more about the earth’s climate.
They will also perform advanced computer modelling to simulate weather patterns, monitor weather-related hazards, conduct climate research on long-term climate patterns and climate changes, perform air quality monitoring, update the public on severe weather warnings, and provide accurate weather forecasting through media outlets

Natural Sciences
Natural sciences focuses on empirical evidence as a means of explaining naturally occurring phenomena. It consists of life science (which involves biology), and the physical sciences, (which involves physics, chemistry, earth science, and astronomy).
As a science, natural science explores different scientific methodologies and theories, covering topics such as evolution and genetics, naturally occurring particles and their interactions with the environment, as well as planetary bodies and their alignments. Used as an educative tool, as a scientific discipline, it revolves heavily around the work done in universities and in the larger field of academia as a whole

Palaeontology
Palaeontology is a branch of science that studies fossilised remains. As such, it revolves heavily around delicate fieldwork and the analysis of microscopic pollens, soils, and other particulates taken from the field to be studied in a laboratory environment

Physics
This is a branch of science that involves fundamental research both at the basic and applied level – seeking to understand the physical laws that govern the universe and harness them. It involves the study of particles, energy, motion, and matter. Physics is regarded as one of the most fundamentally important scientific disciplines of all, and the research done at both the basic and applied levels is essential for the continued growth of many industries within today’s economy, as well as being vital for the continued progression of human civilization as a whole

Oceanography
Oceanography, (sometimes referred to oceanology), involves the study of the earth’s oceans. It also involves the study of the Earth’s climate and its influence on marine life at large, and those who work in this branch of science will conduct studies of the ecosystems prevalent within the ocean and other large bodies of water to study different facets of those marine environments

What is science?

Science is a continual process of learning and discovery. This culminates in new ideas and knowledge being born. Eventually, this knowledge leads to new technologies being created, which results in newer and more effective methods for managing the forces in the world around us. This enables us not only to increase our understanding of the planet itself, but to increase our knowledge of the greater cosmos as a whole. This is also what drives civilization forward, and leads to ever increasing rates of technological and cultural progression. In the absence of war, it’s this same progression that makes life easier and more enjoyable for everyone, leading to higher standards of living and access to better technologies and medicines that will soon enable us to do things like travel to distant planets (thereby expanding the reach of humanity), conquering illness, (thereby making sickness and illness a thing of the past), and extending our lifespans well beyond normal the baseline limitations (thereby enabling us to live longer, healthier, more fascinating lives…)

Any science revolves heavily around research and observation

That’s why those who undertake a career in science will usually have a strong affinity for drawing conclusions from datasets and composing hypotheses that can be measured and tested. Building on their past knowledge and using a proper scientific method to conduct their research, constantly questioning, and always finding new ways to gain knowledge, analysing the results and drawing rational conclusions from it – these are some of the main things that good scientists strive to do. Science itself revolves heavily around research and data analysis, and although the research techniques themselves may vary drastically depending on the methods and types of equipment needed for the field in question – including things like microscopes, agents and reagents, sensors, and other types of sophisticated hardware designed to gather data, the underlying technique and scientific approach is one thing that always remains constant

The discoveries and advancements made from the research done in any branch of science are always VERY important and are usually very REWARDING indeed

In order to do effective research, not only is a firm knowledge and proper education in that scientific vocation required, but as a practicing scientist, you also need to possess both insight and foresight, and be ready to come up with new ideas and hypotheses to test about the wider world around you, and to also be able to apply those hypotheses in the most practical and relevant ways you can. Once you’ve done the experiments and gathered the information you need, data analysis is the next step, and from there, a conclusion is then reached, which is something that will allow you to either validate or refute any hypothesis you create. This is a process that is always done via the scientific method, and for those interested in any career in science, being familiar with this method and being able to express it well – especially if you plan to talk about your work or aspirations in an interview, is something that is of fundamental importance indeed

The Scientific Method
For those interested in a field of science, whether it’s at the basic or applied level, having a strong familiarity with the scientific method and being able to express your ideas based on this approach is of fundamental importance. The scientific method is a structured process that is used for developing new hypotheses and their null equivalents, and it’s this very blend of structured reasoning and methodical process that forms the basis from which all good science is derived

Observation and questioning

The scientific method starts with the observation of a particular phenomenon or area based on your given field of interest or expertise. Observation can be done in any number of different ways, including sensory observation (most commonly done by visually observing something – for instance under a microscope), observation obtained through data collection (by going into the field and collecting data), or observation done through an analysis of past data (for instance researching information online or on a database). From here, we can then start to come up with questions about those observations. A basic way to approach these questions is to start off by thinking about “why,” “how,” or “what if” something happens

Forming a hypothesis
Based on the questions we’ve asked ourselves about a specific phenomenon, a hypothesis is then formed

A hypothesis in its most basic form is nothing more than a statement, one that indicates an outcome regarding something you expect will happen once a certain circumstance occurs, or what you believe will happen if certain forces act on something in a given way. A hypothesis can be described as a proposition where if x were to happen or to act on a specific phenomena, y would happen in return – although in science, what starts off as something as simple as a single hypothesis can often lead to something much, much, bigger

Experimentation

Next, an appropriate experiment is devised to test the hypothesis. As such, it should always be devised to take into account control conditions and variables, this helps ensure that the data collected is as accurate and unbiased as possible – in spite of this though, the results experiments produce can often be surprising and unexpected, which in turn can lead to some interesting conclusions when the data is finally analysed  

 Data collection

The next step is data collection – it is important to be thorough and methodical and gather all the relevant information about the experiment during this stage

Data analysis

There are several methods commonly used to analyse data once it is all collected. Statistical methods are frequently used to determine the significance of certain types of data, such as the T-test and rank spearmann test. Tests such as these are used to help weed out biased correlations and help identify patterns in the collected data

Scientists will also compare the results obtained in the experiment to the predictions made in the hypothesis, and this is done by writing out their findings in an objective, factual manner, pointing out any relevant trends and correlations that exist, and offering explanations for any patterns they’ve identified

Conclusion
The closing step is to derive a conclusion as to the validity of the hypothesis

This is done by either stating that there is sufficient evidence to support the hypothesis – in which case you will reject the null hypothesis, or by stating that there is not enough evidence to support the hypothesis – which has led to a failure to reject the null hypothesis. The conclusion will often go on to highlight the most relevant points from the data analysis findings, and include a brief discussion about the implications of what these findings and their relevance to that broader scientific field of study mean

The scientific method can be a useful thing to be familiar with when going for an interview for a role in a scientific field. It is also very similar to the steps involved when writing up a scientific report, which can also be a very useful thing to be familiar with too. The steps to this are outlined below and go as follows