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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
Rosey will attend Bellarmine University in the fall to study neuroscience and minor in biochemistry and molecular biology.
—Gege Reed, The Courier-Journal, 6 May 2024
Holland was a student at USC, already with a bachelor’s in biology and a master’s in molecular biology to his name, and was working on his PhD. Noodles worked as a janitor at Earl Warren Elementary School in Garden Grove.
—Daniel Kohn, Los Angeles Times, 8 Apr. 2024
This mechanism of transcription and translation is now known as the central dogma of molecular biology.
—William A. Haseltine, Forbes, 29 Mar. 2024
Tran earned her bachelor's of science in molecular biology from Wisconsin and was a member of the Alpha Phi sorority, according to her LinkedIn profile.
—Hannah Kirby, Journal Sentinel, 27 Mar. 2024
One is that the tools of molecular biology are becoming more and more powerful every year.
—Matt Reynolds, WIRED, 18 Mar. 2024
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
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
Articles Related to molecular biology
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 May. 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
Britannica.com: Encyclopedia article about molecular biology
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