A short note on human respiratory system.

What is the respiratory system? Your respiratory system is made up of the organs in your body that help you to breathe. Remember, that Respiration = Breathing. The goal of breathing is to deliver oxygen to the body and to take away carbon dioxide. Parts of the respiratory system Lungs The lungs are the main organs of the respiratory system. In the lungs oxygen is taken into the body and carbon dioxide is breathed out. The red blood cells are responsible for picking up the oxygen in the lungs and carrying the oxygen to all the body cells that need it. The red blood cells drop off the oxygen to the body cells, then pick up the carbon dioxide which is a waste gas product produced by our cells. The red blood cells transport the carbon dioxide back to the lungs and we breathe it out when we exhale.

Trachea      The trachea (TRAY-kee-uh} is sometimes called the windpipe. The trachea filters the air we breathe and branches into the bronchi. Bronchi      The bronchi (BRAHN-ky) are two air tubes that branch off of the trachea and carry air directly into the lungs. Diaphragm     Breathing starts with a dome-shaped muscle at the bottom of the lungs called the diaphragm (DY-uh-fram). When you breathe in, the diaphragm contracts. When it contracts it flattens out and pulls downward. This movement enlarges the space that the lungs are in. This larger space pulls air into the lungs. When you breathe out, the diaphragm expands reducing the amount of space for the lungs and forcing air out. The diaphragm is the main muscle used in breathing.

About cell.

Cell: The word cell comes from the Latin word cella meaning small room. It is the basic structural unite of living organisms. It can make duplicates of its own. So, in the definition of a cell we can say that “The basic structural, functional, and biological unit of all known living organisms which can replicate independently is called a cell.”

Cells consist of a protoplasm enclosed within a membrane, which contains many biomolecules such as proteins and nucleic acids.  Organisms can be classified as unicellular (consisting of a single cell; including most bacteria) or multicellular (including plants andanimals). While the number of cells in plants and animals varies from species to species, humans contain about 100 trillion (10) cells. Most plant and animal cells are visible only under the microscope, with dimensions between 1 and 100 micrometres

The cell was discovered by Robert Hooke in 1665, who named the biological unit for its resemblance to cells inhabited by Christian monks in a monastery. The cell theory, first developed in 1839 by Matthias Jakob Schleiden and Theodor Schwann, states that all organisms are composed of one or more cells, that all cells come from preexisting cells, that vital functions of an organism occur within cells, and that all cells contain the hereditary information necessary for regulating cell functions and for transmitting information to the next generation of cells. Cells emerged on Earth at least 3.5 billion years ago.

Cells have many parts, each with a different function. Some of these parts, called organelles, are specialized structures that perform certain tasks within the cell. Human cells contain the following major parts, listed in alphabetical order:

Cytoplasm

Within cells, the cytoplasm is made up of a jelly-like fluid (called the cytosol) and other structures that surround the nucleus.

Cytoskeleton

The cytoskeleton is a network of long fibers that make up the cell’s structural framework. The cytoskeleton has several critical functions, including determining cell shape, participating in cell division, and allowing cells to move. It also provides a track-like system that directs the movement of organelles and other substances within cells.

Endoplasmic reticulum (ER)

This organelle helps process molecules created by the cell. The endoplasmic reticulum also transports these molecules to their specific destinations either inside or outside the cell.

Golgi apparatus

The Golgi apparatus packages molecules processed by the endoplasmic reticulum to be transported out of the cell.

Lysosomes and peroxisomes

These organelles are the recycling center of the cell. They digest foreign bacteria that invade the cell, rid the cell of toxic substances, and recycle worn-out cell components.

Mitochondria

Mitochondria are complex organelles that convert energy from food into a form that the cell can use. They have their own genetic material, separate from the DNA in the nucleus, and can make copies of themselves.

Nucleus

The nucleus serves as the cell’s command center, sending directions to the cell to grow, mature, divide, or die. It also houses DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), the cell’s hereditary material. The nucleus is surrounded by a membrane called the nuclear envelope, which protects the DNA and separates the nucleus from the rest of the cell.

Plasma membrane

The plasma membrane is the outer lining of the cell. It separates the cell from its environment and allows materials to enter and leave the cell.

Ribosomes

Ribosomes are organelles that process the cell’s genetic instructions to create proteins. These organelles can float freely in the cytoplasm or be connected to the endoplasmic reticulum.

A short note on the importance of Biology in our daily life

Biology is the study of all living things, so it helps people to understand every organism alive, from the smallest Bacteria to California redwoods and Blue whales. Biology is important to everyday life because it allows humans to better understand their bodies, their resources and potential threats in the environment.

The importance of biology in our daily lives can be considered from the two natural divisions of the science itself, plant life and animal life.

Importance of Biology in our Daily Lives with Respect to Agriculture and Industry

1.      Agriculture plays great role narrating the importance of biology in our daily lives. Agriculture is largely the result of man’s taking the advantage of the inter relations of soil, climate and natural habitat to select those particular combinations that meet his basic requirements. Thus to provide necessary food, man depends entirely on green plants that can alone capture the solar energy.

2.      High yielding varieties of crop plants like rice, wheat, jute, sugar cane, pulses etc are now bred experimentally. Disease resistant grains and verbalized seeds are made.

3.      Biological control strategies are undertaken as pest control emphasizing the importance of biology in our daily lives.

4.      Modern man does not depend on fishing and hunting like our ancestors and instead rears fishes as well as cattle and various other domestic animals to get food and other necessities of life. This has resulted in the development of fishery and animal husbandry.

5.      The importance of biology in our daily lives lies in the production of clothings and timber for making furnitures, in supplied raw materials for paper, dyes, etc.

6.      Fossils are important in locating underground oil and natural gas reserves. Even coal and mineral oil formed from decomposed plant bodies are key to industrial prosperity.

Importance of Biology in our Daily Lives with Respect to Health and General well Being

1.      Medical advancement also shows the importance of biology in our daily lives. The study of dreaded diseases, their causative agents, cure as well as the actions of drugs are a way of biological enlightenment that strives minimizing human suffering.

2.      Importance of biology in our daily lives also lies in finding and curing hereditary abnormalities like haemophilia, Down’s syndrome,etc.

3.      Biology aims in making effort to better human race through eugenics.

4.      Biology study has a vital role in controlling environmental pollution and attracted sense of art and beauty.

Names of the main branches of Biology

The main branches of Biology is given below -

v  Aerobiology – the study of airborne organic particles

v  Agriculture – the study of producing crops and raising livestock, with an emphasis on practical applications

v  Anatomy – the study of form and function, in plants, animals, and other organisms, or specifically in humans

o   Histology – the study of cells and tissues, a microscopic branch of anatomy

v  Astrobiology (also known as exobiology, exopaleontology, and bioastronomy) – the study of evolution, distribution, and future of life in the universe

v  Biochemistry – the study of the chemical reactions required for life to exist and function, usually a focus on the cellular level

v  Bioengineering – the study of biology through the means of engineering with an emphasis on applied knowledge and especially related to biotechnology

v  Biogeography – the study of the distribution of species spatially and temporally

v  Bioinformatics – the use of information technology for the study, collection, and storage of genomic and other biological data

v  Biomathematics (or Mathematical biology) – the quantitative or mathematical study of biological processes, with an emphasis on modeling

v  Biomechanics – often considered a branch of medicine, the study of the mechanics of living beings, with an emphasis on applied use through prosthetics ororthotics

v  Biomedical research – the study of health and disease

o   Pharmacology – the study and practical application of preparation, use, and effects of drugs and synthetic medicines

v  Biomusicology – the study of music from a biological point of view.

v  Biophysics – the study of biological processes through physics, by applying the theories and methods traditionally used in the physical sciences

v  Biotechnology – the study of the manipulation of living matter, including genetic modification and synthetic biology

o   Synthetic biology – research integrating biology and engineering; construction of biological functions not found in nature

v  Building biology – the study of the indoor living environment

v  Botany – the study of plants

v  Cell biology – the study of the cell as a complete unit, and the molecular and chemical interactions that occur within a living cell

v  Cognitive biology – the study of cognition as a biological function

v  Conservation biology – the study of the preservation, protection, or restoration of the natural environment, natural ecosystems, vegetation, and wildlife

v  Cryobiology – the study of the effects of lower than normally preferred temperatures on living beings

v  Developmental biology – the study of the processes through which an organism forms, from zygote to full structure

o   Embryology – the study of the development of embryo (from fecundation to birth)

v  Ecology – the study of the interactions of living organisms with one another and with the non-living elements of their environment

v  Environmental biology – the study of the natural world, as a whole or in a particular area, especially as affected by human activity

v  Epidemiology – a major component of public health research, studying factors affecting the health of populations

v  Evolutionary biology – the study of the origin and descent of species over time

v  Genetics – the study of genes and heredity.

o   Epigenetics – the study of heritable changes in gene expression or cellular phenotype caused by mechanisms other than changes in the underlying DNA sequence

v  Hematology (also known as Haematology) – the study of blood and blood-forming organs.

v  Integrative biology – the study of whole organisms

v  Limnology – the study of inland waters

v  Marine biology (or Biological oceanography) – the study of ocean ecosystems, plants, animals, and other living beings

v  Microbiology – the study of microscopic organisms (microorganisms) and their interactions with other living things including:

o   Parasitology – the study of parasites and parasitism

o   Virology – the study of viruses and some other virus-like agents

v  Molecular biology – the study of biology and biological functions at the molecular level, some cross over with biochemistry

v  Mycology – the study of fungi

v  Neurobiology – the study of the nervous system, including anatomy, physiology and pathology

v  Population biology – the study of groups of conspecific organisms, including:

o   Population ecology – the study of how population dynamics and extinction

o   Population genetics – the study of changes in gene frequencies in populations of organisms

v  Paleontology – the study of fossils and sometimes geographic evidence of prehistoric life

v  Pathobiology or pathology – the study of diseases, and the causes, processes, nature, and development of disease

v  Physiology – the study of the functioning of living organisms and the organs and parts of living organisms

v  Phytopathology – the study of plant diseases (also called Plant Pathology)

v  Psychobiology – the study of the biological bases ofpsychology

v  Sociobiology – the study of the biological bases ofsociology

v  Structural biology – a branch of molecular biology,biochemistry, and biophysics concerned with the molecular structure of biological macromolecules

v  Zoology – the study of animals, including classification, physiology, development, and behavior, including:

o   Ethology – the study of animal behavior

o   Entomology – the study of insects

o   Herpetology – the study of reptiles and amphibians

o   Ichthyology – the study of fish

o   Mammalogy – the study of mammals

o   Ornithology – the study of birds

A brief discussion on Biology

The word Biology comes from the Greek word Bios and Logos. Bios means life and logos means knowledge. So from that we can say that Biology is a sector of science which is concerned with the study of living organisms. It discusses about the structure, function, growth, evolution, distribution and taxonomy of living organisms. In modern age biology has covered a vast and divers field which is composed of many branches and sub branches. Biology recognizes the cell as the basic unit of life, genes as the basic unit of heredity, and evolution as the engine that propels the synthesis and creation of new species.