molecular biology

noun

: a branch of biology dealing with the ultimate physicochemical organization of living matter and especially with the molecular basis of inheritance and protein synthesis
molecular biologist noun

Examples of molecular biology in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web That job led to a one-year lab position in 1960 at the Pasteur Institute in Paris, then a center of the exciting new field of molecular biology. Trip Gabriel, New York Times, 8 Mar. 2024 Gu's mother, Yan, studied chemistry, biochemistry and molecular biology, among other subjects, before becoming a venture capitalist and, ultimately, her daughter's No. 1 fan and support system. Eddie Pells, USA TODAY, 27 Jan. 2024 Malka has a medical degree from the University of New Mexico and a doctorate in molecular biology from Columbia, as well as herbal medicine training from the Santa Fe University of Natural Medicine. Peter Hecht, Sacramento Bee, 21 Feb. 2024 For the first time, researchers have used behavioral measures, brain imaging and molecular biology to test how odorless chemicals from human tears affect people By Rachel Nuwer When someone starts to cry, other people oftentimes feel empathy and concern. Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 21 Dec. 2023 Ribbon knots, like the optimal trefoil knot, are used to model DNA in molecular biology, while providing a gateway to more abstract questions investigated in the area of knot theory. Kevin Hartnett, Quanta Magazine, 5 Jan. 2024 Working with colleagues at Duke University, the team used molecular biology methods to test the effects of tears and saline on 62 human olfactory receptors in a lab dish. Rachel Nuwer, Scientific American, 21 Dec. 2023 Using molecular biology and microscopy techniques, the researchers examined human sperm cells across their developmental stages. Sneha Khedkar, Scientific American, 14 Dec. 2023 Before coming to science writing and journalism, Lee earned a Ph.D. in molecular biology at Princeton University and then worked as a data engineer for several years in the Bay Area. Jack Lee, San Francisco Chronicle, 24 May 2023

These examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'molecular biology.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

Word History

First Known Use

1884, in the meaning defined above

Time Traveler
The first known use of molecular biology was in 1884

Dictionary Entries Near molecular biology

Cite this Entry

“Molecular biology.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/molecular%20biology. Accessed 19 Mar. 2024.

Kids Definition

molecular biology

noun
: a branch of biology that investigates the structure and function of usually large molecules (as DNA and proteins) of living matter in order to understand their role in biological processes (as inheritance and cell function)

Medical Definition

molecular biology

noun
: a branch of biology dealing with the study and understanding of biological activity and processes at the molecular level and especially the molecular basis of gene function and protein synthesis
Molecular biology experiments proved that small pieces of DNA did sometimes move within or between chromosomes, thereby triggering changes in gene expression.John Rennie, Scientific American
The test is based on several recent advances in molecular biology, including the new insight that cells slip into the uncontrolled growth known as cancer through defects in specific enzymes that monitor and control division.Lawrence K. Altman, The New York Times

More from Merriam-Webster on molecular biology

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