The term came into its modern usage with the six-volume treatise Biologie, oder Philosophie der lebenden Natur (1802–22) by Gottfried Reinhold Treviranus, who announced: The objects of our research will be the different forms and manifestations of life, the conditions and laws under which these phenomena occur, and the causes through which they have been effected.
O uso moderno do termo iniciouse no tratado de seis volumes Biologie, oder Philosophie der lebenden Natur (1802-22) de Gottfried Reinhold Treviranus, onde chega a dar unha definición desta ciencia: Os obxectos da nosa investigación serán as diferentes formas e manifestacións da vida, as condicións e as leis baixo as que ocorren estes fenómenos, e as causas a través das cales se efectuaron.