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
Examples are automatically compiled from online sources to show current usage. Read More Opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
The two teams complemented each other because the Stanford group had expertise in genetics and genomics, while the Harvard team excelled at sensory functions, behavior, and molecular biology. Paul Smaglik, Discover Magazine, 27 Sep. 2024 So my undergrad already in Vienna was both math and molecular biology. quantamagazine.org, 15 Oct. 2024 The 2024 Nobel Prizes illustrate this coming together of multiple disciplines–molecular biology, neuroscience, computer science, computational statistics, physics, artificial intelligence—to engineer a new healthcare landscape. Gil Press, Forbes, 14 Oct. 2024 According to Reuters, Usha’s parents immigrated to the United States in the 1970s, and her parents teach engineering and molecular biology in San Diego. Kathleen Walsh, Glamour, 2 Oct. 2024 See all Example Sentences for molecular biology 

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 23 Nov. 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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