Difference between biochemistry, chemical biology, genetics and molecular biology?

Question

My science teacher from a few years back said those terms pretty much mean the samething. There has to be some difference between the terms.

And which of the fields do you think hold the most potential for significant breakthroughs that may just change mankind? Is it genetics since it's a fairly newly developed field?

Answer 1

Biochemistry - Deals with the chemistry of biological systems. Historically, it has tended to focus on protein chemistry and enzymatic reactions.

Chemical biology - This deals more with using chemical techniques and experiments to understand and manipulate biological systems. It's more of a general, broader field that's not as clearly defined as the others. Biochemistry and molecular biology could be considered aspects of chemical biology. It would be a broader field to get involved with, but I would warn that specialized education is usually better in biological and biomedical science.

Genetics - This deals with anything genetic (obviously). Molecular biology could be considered a specialization within genetics. The field of genetics includes a greater amount of theory that's not always relevant to working in a lab (or getting a real job). Between genetics and molecular biology, I would definitely say you'd have a stronger career in molecular biology.

Molecular Biology - This field mostly deals with the molecular manipulation and alteration of DNA to study and understand genes and their functions. It's very prominent in studying bacteria, but it's also used extensively in mice and tissue culture for understanding human diseases.

I would say your science teacher was rather ignorant. In my Biochemistry classes I learned about proteins, protein isolation, protein analysis, and biochemical pathways. In my Molecular Biology class I learned how you can manipulate DNA (and, in some people's views, play God). They're really quite different and shouldn't be easily confused with each other.

I hope this helps. I've been working in biomedical research for a few years now, and I really enjoy it. I do think there's a great deal of confusion among people who aren't living in our field, though. There are real, important differences between the fields you listed.

Answer 2

Biochemistry Vs Molecular Biology

Answer 3

biochemistry and chemical biology, as degrees, may only be different becuase of a few classes, a biochemist deals with biological chemical pathways like the pathways of glucose to creat atp or the Uric asid cycle, a chemical biologist is a biologist that deals with chemical problems, they could be oil spills that affect a flock of birds in the everglades.
Genetics as a whole deals with population, molecular, heredity, genes, all sorts of things, molecular genetics is more indepth, and deals with things on a molecular level.

Answer 4

Biochemistry - amino acid, nucleic acids, carbohydrates, and lipids. Their catabolic and anabolic pathways in a stepwise/reaction fashion.

Chemical biology - I suppose this would be a subject about reactions of inorganic or non-biological compounds with biological systems.

Genetics - transcription, translation, signal pathways, the epigenome.

molecular biology - im guessing it is like biochem without the pathways, more of structural anatomy type of thing. such as what makes up fat cells, triglyceride storage vessicles.

Answer 5

the differences are mainly historical, to do with the types of problems those disciplines traditionally focused on. much of the theory and experimental techniques overlap these days.

Answer 6

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