The Human Body

This paper will examine five different aspects of how the human body works. It will look at the relationships between biology, physiology and behavior; define "scientific method;" explain the psychosomatic and somatopsychic construct; define genotype and phenotype; and discuss homeostasis.

1. Biology is the science of life and living things. It includes the study of plants and animals and all their subdivisions (Taber, B-28). Physiology is the science of the functions of cells, tissues and organs within living organisms (p. P-82). Behavior is how the organism as a whole reacts to its environment. The biology of an organism covers an array of different characteristics associated with it, such as its habitat, what it feeds on, its mating rituals and reproductive habits, where it is found in nature, whether it lays eggs or has liveborn young. In plants, it refers to where they are found globally, what kind of an environment they need, how the seed are fertilized and propagated, how high they grow, what animals feed on them, and are they harvested by man for his own consumption or as a cash crop. Biology, essentially, looks at plants and animals by their externally observable functions.

Using the term "biology" to describe the internal functionings of an animal at the cellular level would be wrong, as would be using the broad term "biology" to describe the flora and fauna of a given area. "BIO' means pertaining to life, from the Greek "bios" and the term biology re

Related Essays

Hormones of the Human Body .... All of the hormones of the human body are proteins or protein derivatives, except the sex hormones and those of the adrenal cortex, which are steroids, which .... (509 2 )

Breaking Down Food Products and the Human Body .... Carbohydrates have three major functions in the body: to provide energy, to .... polysaccharides which cannot be digested by enzymes in the human digestive tract .... (735 3 )

The Human Digestive System .... The digestive system is the largest and most complex interface between the inner workings of the human body and the outside world. .... (804 3 )

Human Digestive System .... The digestive system is the largest and most complex interface between the inner workings of the human body and the outside world. .... (1063 4 )

Energy Drinks Effects on the Body .... Taurine is a conditionally essential amino acid which is naturally occurring in the human body. .... Taurine is involved in vital functions of the human body. .... (2596 10 )

e.g acute emotions such as fright may induce physiological changes such as cardiac arrhythmias which may prove fatal; chronically maintained emotions may induce physiological changes that, over time, produce tissue damage; and emotions may invoke self-destructive behavior. They may also originate in the body, e.g. a brain tumor may lead to bizarre, uncontrollable behavior. 4. The genotype is the complete genetic constitution of an organism or group as determined by the particular combination and location of the genes on the chromosome. The genetic information carried by a pair of alleles determines a specific characteristic, or trait, usually designated by a letter or symbol, such as AA when the alleles are identical and Aa when they are different (Mosby, 1994). The term genotype also refers to the alleles situated at one or more sites on homologous chromosomes, and to a group or class having the same genetic makeup, the type species of a genus. The phenotype is the complete observable characteristics of an organism or group, including anatomic, physiologic, biochemical, and behavioral traits, as determined by the interaction of both genetic makeup and environmental factors (Mosby, 1994). It also refers to a group of

Category: Medical - T