What IS Nature?
Nature , in the broadest sense, is the natural, physical, or material world or universe . "Nature" can refer to the phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large part of science . Although humans are part of nature, human activity is often understood as a separate category from other natural phenomena. The word nature is derived from the Latin word natura , or "essential qualities, innate disposition", and in ancient times, literally meant "birth". [1] Natura is a Latin translation of the Greek word physis (φύσις), which originally related to the intrinsic characteristics that plants, animals, and other features of the world develop of their own accord. [2] [3] The concept of nature as a whole, the physical universe , is ...