nonbiology

Nonbiology is a broad, informal label used to refer to domains of knowledge, inquiry, and activity that do not involve living organisms. It is not recognized as a formal scientific discipline; rather, it denotes the parts of science and related fields outside the biological sciences. In education and research, nonbiology encompasses the physical sciences (physics, chemistry, astronomy, geology), mathematics, computer science, engineering, and many humanities and social sciences, though many areas are interdisciplinary and intersect with biology.

In practice, the term is often used for organizational purposes, such as curricula catalogs, data labeling, or project tagging, to distinguish non-biological materials, methods, or analyses from biological ones. For example, "non-biological samples" may refer to mineral or chemical specimens, metals, or environmental measurements that do not originate from living organisms.

The boundary between biology and nonbiology is not fixed. Some fields study life processes without focusing on organisms (bioinformatics, biophysics, systems biology) or apply biological principles in non-living contexts (biomimicry). Philosophically, the distinction touches on what counts as life and the separation of life sciences from abiotic sciences.

See also: life sciences, physical sciences, chemistry, physics, biology, abiotic, biotic.