BiO

Bio is a term with several related meanings, typically referring to two closely connected ideas: a short biographical note and the widely used prefix meaning life.

In biographical contexts, a bio is a concise written summary of a person’s life, career, and achievements. It is commonly found in professional profiles, conference programs, author pages, film programs, and online social media. A longer, more detailed version is called a biography, while shorter forms—often one or two sentences or a paragraph—are called mini-bios or short bios. A bio may include the person’s name, current role and organization, educational background, notable accomplishments, areas of expertise, and ways to contact or learn more about them. The tone is typically neutral and factual, with emphasis on verifiable information and relevance to the audience.

In science and related fields, bio is a prefix derived from the Greek bios meaning “life.” It appears in many terms describing life processes or life-related science, such as biology (the science of life), biodiversity (variety of life), biosphere (the global ecological system), biosynthesis (life-driven chemical synthesis), and bioinformatics (computational biology). The prefix signals topics that concern living organisms and life processes.

Ethical considerations for bios include accuracy, currency, and privacy, particularly for public figures. A well-crafted bio avoids misrepresentation and avoids disclosing sensitive information. See also biography, autobiography, memoir, and bioinformatics.