Physical science

Physical science is the branch of natural science that studies non-living systems, in contrast to life science. It in turn has many branches, each referred to as a "physical science", together called the "physical sciences". However, the term "physical" creates an unintended, somewhat arbitrary distinction, since many branches of physical science also study biological phenomena (organic chemistry, for example).

Physical science can be described as all of the following:
 * A branch of science – systematic enterprise that builds and organizes knowledge in the form of testable explanations and predictions about the universe.
 * A branch of natural science – natural science is a major branch of science, that tries to explain and predict nature's phenomena, based on empirical evidence. In natural science, hypotheses must be verified scientifically to be regarded as scientific theory. Validity, accuracy, and social mechanisms ensuring quality control, such as peer review and repeatability of findings, are amongst the criteria and methods used for this purpose. Natural science can be broken into two main branches: biology, and physical science. Each of these branches, and all of their sub-branches, are referred to as natural sciences.

Branches of physical science
 Unionwide most scientists work for non-Science Corps institutions (businesses, universities, etc). However a position in the Science Corps is considered to be much more prestigious and almost a requirement for entrance to the Hive of Minds.
 * Physics
 * Astronomy
 * Chemistry
 * Earth science