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Natural scienceIn science, the term natural science refers to a naturalistic approach to the study of the universe, which isunderstood as obeying rules or laws of natural origin.The term natural science is also used to distinguish those fields that use the scientific method to study nature fromthe social sciences, which use the scientific method to study human behavior and society; from the formal sciences,such as mathematics and logic, which use a different (a priori) methodology and from the humanities.

Overview

The Michelson–Morley experiment was used to disprove that light propagatedthrough a luminiferous aether. This 19th century concept was then superseded by

Albert Einstein's special theory of relativity.

Natural sciences form the basis for appliedsciences. Together, the natural and appliedsciences are distinguished from the socialsciences on the one hand, and thehumanities on the other. Thoughmathematics, statistics, and computerscience are not considered natural sciences(mathematics traditionally consideredamong the liberal arts and statistics amongthe humanities, for instance), they providemany tools and frameworks used within thenatural sciences.

Alongside this traditional usage, the phrasenatural sciences is also sometimes usedmore narrowly to refer to natural history. Inthis sense "natural sciences" may refer to thebiology and perhaps also the earth sciences,

as distinguished from the physical sciences, including astronomy, physics, and chemistry.

Within the natural sciences, the term hard science is sometimes used to describe those subfields which some peopleview as relying on experimental, quantifiable data or the scientific method and focus on accuracy and objectivity.These usually include physics, chemistry and biology. By contrast, soft science is often used to describe thescientific fields that are more reliant on qualitative research, including the social sciences.

HistoryIn ancient and medieval times, the objective study of nature was known as natural philosophy. In late medieval andearly modern times, a philosophical interpretation of nature was gradually replaced by a scientific approach usinginductive methodology. The works of Ibn al-Haytham and Sir Francis Bacon popularized this approach, therebyhelping to forge the scientific revolution.By the 19th century, the study of science had come into the purview of professionals and institutions. In so doing, itgradually acquired the more modern name of natural science. The term scientist was coined by William Whewell inan 1834 review of Mary Somerville's On the Connexion of the Sciences. But the word did not enter general use untilnearly the end of the same century.According to a famous 1923 textbook Thermodynamics — and the Free Energy of Chemical Substances by theAmerican chemist Gilbert N. Lewis and the American physical chemist Merle Randall, the natural sciences containthree great branches:

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Aside from the logical and mathematical sciences, there are three great branches of natural sciencewhich stand apart by reason of the variety of far reaching deductions drawn from a small number ofprimary postulates — they are mechanics, electrodynamics, and thermodynamics.

Today, natural sciences are more commonly divided into life sciences, such as botany and zoology; and physicalsciences, which include physics, chemistry, geology and astronomy.

Branches of natural science

Astronomy

Space missions have been used to image distantlocations within the Solar System, such as this

Apollo 11 view of Daedalus crater on the far sideof the Moon.

This discipline is the science of celestial objects and phenomena thatoriginate outside the Earth's atmosphere. It is concerned with theevolution, physics, chemistry, meteorology, and motion of celestialobjects, as well as the formation and development of the universe.

Astronomy includes the examination, study and modeling of stars,planets, comets, galaxies and the cosmos. Most of the information usedby astronomers is gathered by remote observation, although somelaboratory reproduction of celestial phenomenon has been performed(such as the molecular chemistry of the interstellar medium).

While the origins of the study of celestial features and phenomenoncan be traced back to antiquity, the scientific methodology of this fieldbegan to develop in the middle of the 17th century. A key factor wasGalileo's introduction of the telescope to examine the night sky in moredetail.

The mathematical treatment of astronomy began with Newton'sdevelopment of celestial mechanics and the laws of gravitation, although it was triggered by earlier work ofastronomers such as Kepler. By the 19th century, astronomy had developed into a formal science, with theintroduction of instruments such as the spectroscope and photography, along with much-improved telescopes and thecreation of professional observatories.

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Biology

A fragment of DNA, the chemical sequence thatcontains genetic instructions for the development

and functioning of living organisms

This field encompasses a set of disciplines that examines phenomenarelated to living organisms. The scale of study can range fromsub-component biophysics up to complex ecologies. Biology isconcerned with the characteristics, classification and behaviors oforganisms, as well as how species were formed and their interactionswith each other and the environment.

The biological fields of botany, zoology, and medicine date back toearly periods of civilization, while microbiology was introduced in the17th century with the invention of the microscope. However, it was notuntil the 19th century that biology became a unified science. Oncescientists discovered commonalities between all living things, it wasdecided they were best studied as a whole.

Some key developments in biology were the discovery of genetics;Darwin's theory of evolution through natural selection; the germ theoryof disease and the application of the techniques of chemistry andphysics at the level of the cell or organic molecule.

Modern biology is divided into subdisciplines by the type of organism and by the scale being studied. Molecularbiology is the study of the fundamental chemistry of life, while cellular biology is the examination of the cell; thebasic building block of all life. At a higher level, physiology looks at the internal structure of organism, whileecology looks at how various organisms interrelate.

Chemistry

This structural formula for molecule caffeineshows a graphical representation of how the

atoms are arranged.

Constituting the scientific study of matter at the atomic and molecularscale, chemistry deals primarily with collections of atoms, such asgases, molecules, crystals, and metals. The composition, statisticalproperties, transformations and reactions of these materials are studied.Chemistry also involves understanding the properties and interactionsof individual atoms for use in larger-scale applications.

Most chemical processes can be studied directly in a laboratory, usinga series of (often well-tested) techniques for manipulating materials, aswell as an understanding of the underlying processes. Chemistry isoften called "the central science" because of its role in connecting theother natural sciences.

Early experiments in chemistry had their roots in the system ofAlchemy, a set of beliefs combining mysticism with physical experiments. The science of chemistry began todevelop with the work of Robert Boyle, the discoverer of gas, and Antoine Lavoisier, who developed the theory ofthe Conservation of mass.

The discovery of the chemical elements and the concept of Atomic Theory began to systematize this science, andresearchers developed a fundamental understanding of states of matter, ions, chemical bonds and chemical reactions.The success of this science led to a complementary chemical industry that now plays a significant role in the worldeconomy.

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Earth scienceEarth science (also known as geoscience, the geosciences or the Earth Sciences), is an all-embracing term for thesciences related to the planet Earth, including geology, geophysics, hydrology, meteorology, physical geography,oceanography, and soil science.Although mining and precious stones have been human interests throughout the history of civilization, thedevelopment of the related sciences of economic geology and mineralogy did not occur until the 18th century. Thestudy of the earth, particularly palaeontology, blossomed in the 19th century. The growth of other disciplines, suchas geophysics, in the 20th century led to the development of the theory of plate tectonics in the 1960s, which has hada similar effect on the Earth sciences as the theory of evolution had on biology. Earth sciences today are closelylinked to climate research and the petroleum and mineral exploration industries.

Physics

This free body diagram illustrates the different forces acting on aprojectile.

Physics embodies the study of the fundamentalconstituents of the universe, the forces and interactionsthey exert on one another, and the results produced bythese interactions. In general, physics is regarded as thefundamental science, because all other natural sciencesuse and obey the principles and laws set down by thefield. Physics relies heavily on mathematics as thelogical framework for formulation and quantification ofprinciples.

The study of the principles of the universe has a longhistory and largely derives from direct observation andexperimentation. The formulation of theories about thegoverning laws of the universe has been central to thestudy of physics from very early on, with philosophygradually yielding to systematic, quantitativeexperimental testing and observation as the source of verification.

Key historical developments in physics include Isaac Newton's theory of universal gravitation and classicalmechanics, an understanding of electricity and its relation to magnetism, Einstein's theories of special and generalrelativity, the development of thermodynamics, and the quantum mechanical model of atomic and subatomicphysics.

The field of physics is extremely broad, and can include such diverse studies as quantum mechanics and theoreticalphysics, applied physics and optics. Modern physics is becoming increasingly specialized, where researchers tend tofocus on a particular area rather than being "universalists" like Albert Einstein and Lev Landau, who worked inmultiple areas.

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Cross-disciplinesThe distinctions between the natural science disciplines are not always sharp, and they share a number ofcross-discipline fields. Physics plays a significant role in the other natural sciences, as represented by astrophysics,geophysics, chemical physics and biophysics. Likewise chemistry is represented by such fields as biochemistry,geochemistry and astrochemistry.A particular example of a scientific discipline that draws upon multiple natural sciences is environmental science.This field studies the interactions of physical, chemical and biological components of the environment, with aparticular regard to the effect of human activities and the impact on biodiversity and sustainability. This science alsodraws upon expertise from other fields such as economics, law and social sciences.A comparable discipline is oceanography, as it draws upon a similar breadth of scientific disciplines. Oceanographyis sub-categorized into more specialized cross-disciplines, such as physical oceanography and marine biology. As themarine ecosystem is very large and diverse, marine biology is further divided into many subfields, includingspecializations in particular species.There are also a subset of cross-disciplinary fields which, by the nature of the problems that they address, havestrong currents that run counter to specialization. Put another way: In some fields of integrative application,specialists in more than one field are a key part of most dialog. Such integrative fields, for example, includenanoscience, astrobiology, and complex system informatics.

See also• Empiricism• List of academic disciplines• Nature

• Natural history• Natural philosophy, the precursor of the physical sciences.

• Science• Fields of science

• Natural sciences• Behavioral sciences• Social sciences

• History of science• History of technology

• Science wars

External links• The History of Recent Science and Technology [1]

• Reviews of Books About Natural Science [2] This site contains over 50 previously published reviews of booksabout natural science, plus selected essays on timely topics in natural science.

References[1] http:/ / hrst. mit. edu/[2] http:/ / www. scibooks. org/

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Article Sources and ContributorsNatural science  Source: http://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?oldid=386845518  Contributors: -- April, 16@r, 2over0, ABF, Abdullais4u, Adam78, Addionne, Ahoerstemeier, Alan Liefting,Albert Krantz, Alfonso Márquez, Ancheta Wis, Andrew Lancaster, Aniten21, Anonymous Dissident, Anthere, Anticent, Aphaia, ArtistScientist, AstroNomer, Avenue, Azcolvin429, BRG, Barras,Bdesham, Beatnick, Ben-Zin, Berria, Bidabadi, Bobo192, Bomac, BozMo, Branddobbe, Bryschneider, CES1596, Cacycle, CanonLawJunkie, Cassowary, Chaos, Che090572, ChemicalBit, Chris73, Christian List, Cinik, Colenso, Columbia, CommonsDelinker, Cquan, Crystallina, DARTH SIDIOUS 2, Damicatz, Damuna, Danielkueh, DarwinPeacock, Davewild, DavidLevinson, DawnBard, DeadEyeArrow, Debresser, Den fjättrade ankan, Dhricenak, Discospinster, Dpol, ESkog, Ed Poor, Edsanville, Eequor, Ehjort, Eleassar777, Enormousdude, Eperotao, Eric Wester, EspressoAddict, Eu.stefan, EugeneZelenko, Everyking, FeloniousMonk, Fox, FrankCostanza, Fredrik, Gabi bart, Gerard2007, Gilliam, Glenn, Go for it!, Gronky, Guanaco, Hectorthebat, Hnchan01,Hola22, Hooperbloob, Icey, Ideyal, Indessert25, IndulgentReader, Ino5hiro, J.delanoy, JLaTondre, Jagged 85, Jamesontai, Jbl1975, Jitse Niesen, JohnCD, Jojit fb, Jon Awbrey, Kandar, KarolLangner, Kasei-jin, Kazkaskazkasako, Kenny sh, Kenosis, Kevin23, Kkrouni, Knowledge Seeker, Lexor, Light current, Lights, Linuxlad, Lord.lucan, Lwalt, M stone, Malhonen, Marc Venot,Maurreen, Mayumashu, Mdd, Merphant, Mikenorton, Morning277, Mxn, NatureA16, NeilN, NerdyNSK, Newbyguesses, Nikola Smolenski, Norm, Nov ialiste, Numbo3, Nuno Tavares, Okedem,Oleg Alexandrov, Osubuckeyeguy, Paleorthid, Palica, Paul-L, Persian Poet Gal, Pethan, Phantomsteve, Phlebas, Phronetic, Pigman, Pinethicket, Powo, Protector of Wiki, RJHall, Raul654,Rbellin, RekishiEJ, Remember, Remigiu, RichardF, Riyehn, Rmky87, Robin Hood, Rwwww, Ryeterrell, Rätikon, SFC9394, Sadi Carnot, Salt Yeung, Salvio giuliano, Sam Korn, Samoboow,Savant13, ScienceApologist, Shoreranger, Singhalawap, Skizzik, Sloth monkey, Spangs, Sushant gupta, The Anome, The Fat Guy, The Rationalist, The Spith, The Thing That Should Not Be,The Transhumanist, The monkeyhate, TheNewPhobia, Thermochap, Tide rolls, Tomahiv, Tornadof3, Tpbradbury, Twas Now, Twooars, Unyoyega, Versus22, Vsmith, Wapcaplet, Wikiborg,William Flowers, Wimstead, Wimt, Wimvandorst, Wine Guy, XJamRastafire, Xezbeth, Yarnalgo, Zandperl, Zfr, 217 anonymous edits

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