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Welcome! We are an encyclopedia project, and more. We are a different sort of Web 2.0 project: We aim at credibility and quality, not just quantity. We offer gentle expert oversight. We use our real names, not pseudonyms. We're collegial. We have added over 2,400 articles since Nov. 2006. Join us! Regular smart folks and experts—welcome! Response within 24 hours, guaranteed. Learn about us For readers: About the Citizendium For contributors: How to get started as an author Project Home Support us We're a 501(c)(3) non-profit, and we need your support. If you shop at Amazon or Barnes & Noble and you access these sites by the links provided here, we'll be getting donations at no cost to you (read more) - Search All Products		Approved articles [ about ] Some of Citizendium's finest Article of the Week [ about ] Biology is the science of life. Biologists study all aspects of Earth's living things, including the dynamic processes within them that enable them to survive. Those vital processes include the harnessing of energy and matter, the synthesis of the materials that make up the body, the healing of injuries, and the reproduction of the entire organism, among many other activities. The mysteries of life have fascinated all peoples throughout history, and curiosity about the physical beings of people, plants, and animals exists in every known society. Some of that curiosity arises from a desire to control life processes and to exploit natural resources. Pursuit of the answers has led to an understanding of organisms that has steadily improved our standard of living. Other questions come from a desire to understand nature, rather than to control it; and, in answering these, biological investigation has changed our view of the world.