I grew to love biology from a young age. At the time I had no idea that it was actually biology as our lessons were just branded as ‘science’. Nevertheless, it became very clear that I greatly preferred learning about organs and animals than I did learning how to put together a parallel circuit. The first human biology topic I studied at GCSE was the circulatory system and from that moment on I was hooked. I remember searching on my laptop for documentaties about the heart and then going back to my teacher and telling her everything that I had just found out about. It wasn’t until I heard about neuroscience on the radio that I found the sector of biology that interested me the most.
The human brain consists of 100 billion neurons each connected to 10 thousand other neurons. Sitting on your shoulders right now is the most complex system in the world. Simply, neuroscience is exciting. Understanding how thoughts work, how connections are made, how the memory works etc. – it’s all fascinating to me. Although Neuroscience is not taught at A-Level, I have developed an interest through my studies in Chemistry and Biology as to how bonding in carbon and hydrogen are essential in the structure of molecules such as neurotransmitters and how cells, especially in the brain, are vital for essential processes which keep us alive. Neurodegenerative diseases such as Schizophrenia and Parkinson’s disease alongside other injuries fascinate me, as I want to know if there could be a cure for them. Although neuroscience is still very much in it’s infancy, I am confident that in the future we will find a cure for paralysis and dementia. Neuroscience is more than just the brain and nervous system; it is about being able to improve quality of life, whether by discovering how to rehabilitate phantom limbs or developing new cures.
It’s not only the brain which fascinates me but other areas or human biology as well. For example, I believe that biology’s role in the study of genetics and DNA is extremely important and interesting. Scientists are now able to pinpoint exactly where certain predispositions to certain diseases exists without our biological makeup, how they’re passed from generation to generation, and even working on breakthroughs to remove undesirable traits from people on a molecular level. It’s absolutely compelling to think of the endless possibilities that biology is gradually opening the door for when it comes to our health.
The information biology has taught us is present in everything we know. Your ability to identify the parts of your face when you look in the mirror can be credited to anatomy. What you eat for lunch was influenced by biology and put on your plate with the help of biology . The medication or vitamins you take daily, your exercise routine – it all comes back to biology.
-Helena
