Biology is a Practical science skill in Paralives, but it behaves differently from skills like Cooking or Painting that you can train with an object whenever you want. In the current Early Access build, there is no reliable in‑game activity that raises it on demand, which is why so many players open the skills panel, read that they should study it, and then find nothing to click.
Quick answer: Get your Para a job that grants a Work Perk which trains Biology passively, then keep them working. The two perks that do this are Medical Field Work and Observant Janitor, both of which slowly raise Biology while your Para is on the clock.
Why you can’t train Biology like other skills
The skill’s own description tells you to improve it by learning about it on the computer. In practice, that interaction is not present in the shipped Early Access version, so selecting the computer does not give you a Biology study option the way it does for Programming or other researchable skills.
This is a known gap, not a bug on your save. The developers have confirmed that the only built‑in way to raise Biology at the moment is through a Work Perk, and that more training methods are planned for later updates. Until then, the computer and bookshelf will not move the skill on their own.
Level Biology with a Work Perk
Note: This is also why some players see Biology jump unexpectedly. If a job rolls a perk that passively trains a skill your role needs, Biology can shoot up fast, while a Para without that perk has no way to raise it at all.
Add a study option with a mod
If you want to train Biology directly instead of waiting on a job, community mods fill in the missing interaction. These add the “Learn about → Biology” option to the computer so your Para can study it like other knowledge skills, running at the normal skill rate rather than skipping ahead.
The same modding work also restores study options for related skills such as Surgery, which can be learned on the computer or by reading a surgery book at the bookshelf once the mod is installed. Mods change save behavior, so use them at your own discretion.
Biology XP and level cost
Biology levels through the standard skill system, with each level costing more than the last. These are the underlying values that drive how fast it rises once you have a working source of progress.
| Property | Value |
|---|---|
| Skill type | Practical · Science |
| Max level | 10 |
| XP per hour | 4 |
| Base level cost | 10 |
| Cost per level | +8 |
| Cost scaling | 1.2x per level |
Careers and perks that use Biology
Biology feeds four positions, all in the University Research Lab, and it unlocks two career perks. The perks are an important part of leveling, because they are what passively trains the skill while your Para is working.
| Workplace | Position |
|---|---|
| University Research Lab | Astronomy Researcher |
| University Research Lab | Astronomy Research Supervisor |
| University Research Lab | Environmental Researcher |
| University Research Lab | Environmental Research Supervisor |
| Career perk | Effect |
|---|---|
| Medical Field Work | Biology skill slowly improves while at work |
| Observant Janitor | Biology skill slowly improves while at work |
How to confirm Biology is going up
Open the skills panel and watch the Biology bar after a few work shifts. If the perk is active, the bar fills on its own, and the level number climbs without any direct interaction. If it stays flat, your Para does not have a Biology‑training perk and is not using a mod that adds the study option, which means there is currently no way for that Para to raise it.
Paralives is still in Early Access on its Steam page, and the team has said more ways to train Biology are coming. Until those land, a perk‑granting job is the dependable in‑game route, and a study mod is the alternative if you would rather build the skill at your own pace.
