molecular biology

American  

noun

1. the branch of biology that deals with the nature of biological phenomena at the molecular level through the study of DNA and RNA, proteins, and other macromolecules involved in genetic information and cell function, characteristically making use of advanced tools and techniques of separation, manipulation, imaging, and analysis.

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molecular biology British  

noun

1. the study of biological phenomena at the molecular level

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molecular biology Scientific  

/ mə-lĕk′yə-lər /

1. The branch of biology that deals with the formation, structure, and function of macromolecules essential to life, such as nucleic acids and proteins, including their roles in cell replication and the transmission of genetic information.

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molecular biology Cultural  

1. The branch of science devoted to studies of the structure, function, and reactions of DNA, RNA, proteins, and other molecules involved in the life processes.

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Etymology

Origin of molecular biology

First recorded in 1935–40

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Example Sentences

See Examples For:

molecular biology

He says: "Someone who's got a degree in molecular biology has one kind of expertise, but someone who's got lived experience has got another kind."

From BBC ● Aug. 21, 2026

Lev Sercarz developed it with Kanchan Koya, a spice specialist and culinary influencer with a Ph.D. in molecular biology from Harvard.

From The Wall Street Journal ● Jul. 16, 2026

"We were able to see, almost atom by atom, how statins latch onto this channel," said lead author Dr. Steven Molinarolo, a postdoctoral researcher in UBC's department of biochemistry and molecular biology.

From Science Daily ● Jan. 31, 2026

That question led Aristeidis Telonis, Ph.D., a research assistant professor of biochemistry and molecular biology at the Miller School, to investigate whether environmental and social conditions leave detectable biological signals in tumors.

From Science Daily ● Dec. 30, 2025

To anyone who has seen a molecular biology lab on the television news, the racks of refrigerating tanks, whirling DNA extractors, and gene-sequencing machines in Pena's lab would look familiar.

From "1491" by Charles C. Mann

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