Biology Mysteries: Tackling Biology
Author: May is a Student Ambassador in Burma who loves researching, exploring, and experiencing.
Picture this—right now, as you are staring at the screen, numerous cells are working hard to serve you a life as if you are their king or queen. A life that allows you to experience joy, sadness, nostalgia, madness, and all those emotions twisted within it. A life that allows [your name] to be [your name].
This is a brief visualization of what Biology is. In this article, I’ll be discussing ways to study biology.
As a biology student myself, I agree with the fact that a common concern regarding biology is its heavy content. It is filled with numerous details for each process, along with its connections to other processes, and the cycle goes on. However, what we must realize is the power of how those little connections are important in their own ways and play a role in making up the whole person you are.
1. Visualization
First and foremost, the most important way to remember these concepts is through Visualization. One technique that helped me learn is to read the concept, search for the illustration, and link the concept to the illustration afterward. This technique will make it seem less complicated. If you are interested in art, that’s even better; you can draw the organ where the process occurs to help you remember better.
For example, I am learning about the heart concept: “Deoxygenated blood enters the heart from the vena cava into the right atrium. From the right atrium, it is pumped through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle, then it is pumped through the semi-lunar valve into the pulmonary artery where it is transported to the lungs where it will be oxygenated.” (Cleveland Clinic)
For students who were just exposed to the concept, this can feel like a huge block of confusing text. So instead, I search for a heart illustration online that shows the blood flow, including arrows. This helps me see exactly where the blood is moving rather than just imagining it. (Note: Researching is crucial for science subjects like biology!)
After that, I make a simple drawing to reinforce my understanding. For example, I draw two heart shapes joined together like a butterfly, representing the right and left sides of the heart, and separate them with three lines in the middle that make up the semi-lunar valves. Between the spaces of the three lines, I add flaps to represent the atrioventricular valves. On top of the heart, I then add one large vessel for the pulmonary artery. This technique really helps bring the concepts together.
Another helpful visualization tip is to watch related videos online. In particular, searching for “3D animation of [your biology topic]” on YouTube can make a big difference. These animations help you follow biological processes much faster than reading alone, especially for complex processes like DNA transcription/translation.
2. Consistency and Repetition
Secondly, as biology is known for its heavy concepts, consistency is key to succeeding in this subject. Repetition is another vital factor of learning biology. This is because it is normal for people to forget things after a period of time, no matter how well they understand them. This idea relates to the “Forgetting Curve” (Kang, 2016), which shows that we forget information quickly if we do not review it.
To deal with this, it is important to focus on “Spaced Repetition” (Kang, 2016). For instance, have a small review session after your first lecture, then a week later, and then two weeks later. This may sound like a burden, and sometimes procrastination may consume you, but it is important to overcome this. By revisiting topics regularly through revision or past-paper practice, the forgetting curve becomes less steep, and it helps us to retain information for longer.
An Example of this would be:
The First Review (Day 0): This catches information while it is still in your short-term memory, ensuring you understand the lecture correctly before the first "drop" in retention.
The Second Review (Day 7): By waiting a week, you allow your brain to work a little harder to retrieve the information. This effort is what actually strengthens the neural pathways.
The Third Review (Day 21): After two more weeks, if you can still recall the concepts, the information is likely moving into your long-term memory, making it much easier to recall during an actual exam.
3. Motivation
Last but not least, the main strategy for succeeding in biology is motivation. Every time you study biology, you should remember that you are learning to save lives. You are studying to make the world a better place—to improve treatments, to seek development, and to experience a good quality of life. Think of it as a privilege.
Many life-saving treatments exist today, all thanks to biology. For instance, cures for diseases such as leukemia branch from biological research on bone marrow, and the cure for the COVID-19 pandemic branched from genetic codes (mRNA). There are many others that humans have discovered, and some which will be discovered soon. This proves how impactful biology can be, and it is important to acknowledge it.
Citations:
Kang, Sean H. K. “Spaced Repetition Promotes Efficient and Effective Learning: Policy Implications for Instruction.” Policy Insights from the Behavioral and Brain Sciences, vol. 3, no. 1, 2016, pp. 12–19, doi:10.1177/2372732215624708.
Cleveland Clinic. “Blood Flow Through the Heart.” Cleveland Clinic, 8 Nov. 2023, my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17060-how-does-the-blood-flow-through-your-heart?utm_source=chatgpt.com. Accessed 14 Jan. 2026.
This article was written with the assistance of AI.