Genetics is the most distinct of the three. It studies genes, genomics, and heredity. This can include molecular genetics, which deals directly with the DNA and it includes population genetics, which has more to do with how different alleles spread in a population.
I've yet to see a definition of molecular biology that doesn't overlap with biochemistry. The two are nearly identical sciences. The closest I've found to a meaningful distinction is that molecular biologists are biologists and biochemists are chemists. Molecular biologists concern themselves with the biological processes; the cells, the tissues, the organisms. Biochemists are more about the chemicals, which just happen to be in a living thing; reaction mechanisms, thermodynamics, bond angles and the like. Not that what I'm saying here is universally agreed upon.
At the end of the day, the amount of overlap is massive and we're splitting hairs by saying somebody is absolutely one and not the other. One can have a degree in molecular biology, be a member of a genetics department, and look at the structural biochemistry of how a protein binds to DNA.14.5k Views · 16 Upvotes
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Yehudit Hasin, PhD in genetics (WIS), postdoctoral fellow at UCLA.
Answered Jun 2, 2013 · Upvoted by Christopher VanLang, PhD in Chemical Engineering at Stanford University and Edwin Khoo, PhD student in Chemical Engineering at MIT
Biochemistry has to do with chemical properties and interactions of biological molecules. So for example we can take an isolated enzyme add substrate and measure the kinetics of a reaction in a test tube. The experiments try to isolate specific chemical properties, not necessarily mimicking cellular environment (which is most often the case) .
Molecular biology has to do with biological effects of specific molecules - we add X to cell culture - do the cells die? Do they become cancerous?
Genetics looks at heritability of traits and tries to find what are the molecules that have to do with that trait. How much of susceptibility to X can be attributed to genetics? What is the gene that makes eyes blue?
In current research these disciplines closely intertwine, and it is almost impossible to publish a good paper in only one of them, without having some evidence from others. So genetics identifies the players, biochemistry says how they likely function, and molecular biology asks how this function influences biological properties of an organism.
biochemistry deals with the chemical reactions and chemistry related to the living biological system.
molecular biology deals with the exclusive studies related to the DNA, proteins, and sub cellular species of a living cell.
biotechnology is the vast study that deals with the use of techniques and different fields of sciences in biology to bring out the technological advancement in the same for the betterment of mankind.
- Biochemistry is the chemistry of living things.
- Molecular biology is the chemistry of nucleic acids (in essence).
- Biotechnology is the use of techniques to study biology.
As other respondents have said, they are interrelated subjects and you cannot study one of these subjects without having to study the other two, which is why the syllabus is very similar.
NB Genetics is not the same as molecular biology, although they are clearly interrelated.
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