Physiology
Physiology (/ˌfɪziˈɒlədʒi/; from Ancient Greek φύσις
(physis), meaning "nature, origin", and -λογία
(-logia), meaning "study of") is the scientific study of function in living systems. A sub-discipline of biology, its focus is in how organisms, organ systems, organs, cells, and bio-molecules carry out the chemical or physical functions that exist in a living system. Given the size of the field it is divided into, among others: human physiology, animal physiology, plant physiology, cellular physiology, microbial physiology (see microbial metabolism), bacterial physiology, viral physiology. The highest honor awarded in physiology is the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, awarded since 1901 by the Royal Swedish Academy of Sciences.