Biologists
Research or study basic principles of plant and animal life, such as origin, relationship, development, anatomy, and functions.
$98,920 a year (for the broader BLS group this job sits in).
of the working time. Estimate.
- 42%
- 3%
- 54%
Measured, from Anthropic's usage data (2025). Counts help on part of a task.
On the chosen pace and reliability. Estimate.
Share of the working time within reach, now to 2030
What each choice means: , , , , . Every pace starts from .
At this date and pace, models finish tasks up to 4.4 h long four times in five.
How far this has come
With GPT-4, measured in March 2023, 0% of this job's working time was within reach at . With Claude 3.7 Sonnet, measured in February 2025, 0%. With Claude Mythos Preview (early), measured in April 2026, 2%. Today's estimate: 3%.
A backcast: today's task data with the best model METR had measured by each date. It shows how fast the models have moved, not what anyone forecast at the time.
The tasks
Sorted by . 22 tasks from .
| Task | Kind | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Identify, classify, and study structure, behavior, ecology, physiology, nutrition, culture, and distribution of plant and animal species.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 12% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | Stays with people | |
| Study basic principles of plant and animal life, such as origin, relationship, development, anatomy, and function.Done more than weekly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 12% | 2.1 work days3.3 h to 1.7 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Research environmental effects of present and potential uses of land and water areas, determining methods of improving environmental conditions or such outputs as crop yields.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 11% | 3.3 work days6.7 h to 1.7 work weeks | 0%Half by Sep 2028 | |
| Teach or supervise students and perform research at universities and colleges.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 11% | 5 h1.7 h to 1.3 work days | Stays with people | |
| Prepare plans for management of renewable resources.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 10% | 4.2 work days6.7 h to 2.5 work weeks | 0%Half by Jan 2029 | |
| Program and use computers to store, process, and analyze data.Done daily by most who do it. | 7% | 3.3 h50 min to 1.7 work days | 21%Half by May 2027 | |
| Collect and analyze biological data about relationships among and between organisms and their environment.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 6% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 1 work week | Stays with people | |
| Study aquatic plants and animals and environmental conditions affecting them, such as radioactivity or pollution.Done more than monthly by most who do it. AI observed on this task. | 6% | 2.1 work days3.3 h to 1.3 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Study and manage wild animal populations.Done more than monthly by most who do it. | 5% | 2.1 work days3.3 h to 1.7 work weeks | Stays with people | |
| Supervise biological technicians and technologists and other scientists.Done more than weekly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 h25 min to 4.2 h | Stays with people | |
| Prepare technical and research reports, such as environmental impact reports, and communicate the results to individuals in industry, government, or the general public.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 1.7 work days3.3 h to 4.2 work days | 2%Half by Feb 2028 | |
| Develop pest management and control measures, and conduct risk assessments related to pest exclusion, using scientific methods.Done more than yearly by most who do it. | 3% | 2.5 work days5 h to 1.5 work weeks | 1%Half by Jul 2028 |
Within reach, per task: the share of the task's time whose instances are short enough for a model to finish at the chosen date, pace and reliability. Half by: the date half of that time comes within reach.
Jobs that share skills with this one
From O*NET's related occupations. Within reach now and by the end of 2028, long-run pace, four in five.
Where this job works
The industry groups that employ the most of it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.
Where the most of these jobs are
The metro areas with the most people in it (BLS, May 2025). Counts are for the broader BLS group this job sits in.