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The Human Body: A Microcosm
“I’m not so simple, after all.”
By: Philip Jarrett
What I will do
• Compare the human body to a natural environment
You can already see the resemblance!
What Are We?
• Approximately 50 trillion cells (5 x 1013 cells!)
Nerve Cell Cancer Cell Heart Cell
Does it look like outer space? Not quite! It’s you!(Hopefully not the cancer cell)
What Are We?
• Approximately 10% Eukaryotic• The rest are Microbes!
Intestinal Bacteria Bacteria in Mouth Biofilm
Bacteria may either help us or hurt us.But we can’t live without them.
Then, Who Are We?
• We are a bundle of cells constantly trying to maintain balance
-Extracted from dictionary.reference.com
This reminds me of the interactions between species in a community
Hibernation and Panting
Community vs. Cells of the Body
Human Cells constantly seek homeostasis
Organisms seek homeostasis in nature
Same Phenomenon, Different Environment
First Level of a Community
“Primary Producers” : earliest organisms that provide nutrition/means for other living organisms
Typically include:• Plants• Algae
• Plankton
In the same way, the brain provides means through which the rest of the body survives.
Second Level of a Community
“Primary Consumer” : organisms that directly consume primary producers
Typically include:• Small Insects
The peripheral nerve cells do this by receiving and transmitting impulses from the brain.
Third Level of a Community
“Secondary Consumer” : organisms that directly consume primary consumers
Typically include:• Large Insects• Pesky Rats
• Fish
The rest of the cells in the body act like this within communities.
Mob Rule
In a population, organisms communicate with each other to share information.
A Community requires Diversity
A community includes numerous forms of life, from flora to fauna (plants to animals)
Our body has diversity too!
Adaptation Keeps Things Fair
In nature, species adapt and evolve to overcome the equal progress of other species
Our body adapts also!
Neutrophils
Conclusion
Our bodies have countless similarities with the natural world.
In other words, we aren’t so different from the rest of nature.