Biology & Society Major
Tackling the social, political and ethical challenges of modern biology
Many of the most critical social concerns of our time—food and population; impact of genetic engineering and new medical technologies; testing for drugs; AIDS and genes; the influence of heredity versus environment on human behavior; environmental quality; and ethical, legal and social aspects of modern medical practice—are innately biological. At the same time, each of these issues is inherently a social concern and involves complex relations between biological and sociocultural forces. The Biology & Society major is intended to provide you with the skills and perspectives you’ll need to systematically confront these and many other social-biological issues.
Careers in Biology and Society
How we're answering social concerns in modern biology
Recent insights, breakthroughs, news and other Biology & Society stories.
News
The genetic material that species shed into their environments can reveal the presence of the species and a broad range of information about the genetics of entire populations.
News
A new study testing the accuracy of existing methods used to predict the genetic variation that cause infertility found that relying on computational or in vitro experiments alone is insufficient.
Explore your opportunities
A CALS education goes beyond the classroom and gives students frequent opportunities to apply what they learn in real-world settings.

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