Homeostasis Definition noun (Science: Biology) (1) The tendency of an organism or a cell to regulate its internal conditions, usually

by a system of feedback controls, so as to stabilize health and functioning, regardless of the outside changing conditions (2) The ability of the body or a cell to seek and maintain a condition of equilibrium or stabilitywithin its internal environment when dealing with external changes Supplement In humans, homeostasis happens when the body regulates body temperature in an effort to maintain an internal temperature around 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. For example, we sweat to cool off during the hot summer days, and we shiver to produce heat during the cold winter season. Word origin: from the Greek: homeo, meaning unchanging + stasis, meaning standing. Related forms: homeostatic (adjective). Human homeostasis is derived from the Latin, homeo or "constant", and stasis or "stable" and means remaining stable or remaining the same.[1] The human body manages a multitude of highly complex interactions to maintain balance or return systems to functioning within a normal range. These interactions within the body facilitate compensatory changes supportive of physical and psychological functioning. This process is essential to the survival of the person and to our species. The liver, the kidneys, and the brain (hypothalamus, the autonomic nervous system and the endocrine system[2]) help maintain homeostasis. The liver is responsible for metabolizing toxic substances and maintaining carbohydrate metabolism. The kidneys are responsible for regulating blood water levels, re-absorption of substances into the blood, maintenance of salt and iron levels in the blood, regulation of blood pH, and excretion of urea and other wastes. An inability to maintain homeostasis may lead to death or a disease, a condition known as homeostatic imbalance. For instance, heart failure may occur when negative feedback mechanisms become overwhelmed and destructive positive feedback mechanisms take over.[3]Other diseases which result from a homeostatic imbalance include diabetes, dehydration, hypoglycemia, hyperglycemia, gout and any disease caused by the presence of a toxin in the bloodstream. Medical intervention can help restore homeostasis and possibly prevent permanent damage to the organs. Homeostasis (from Greek: , "hmoios", "similar",[1] and , stsis, "standing still"[2]) is the property of a system that regulates its internal environment and tends to maintain a stable, relatively constant condition of properties such as temperature or pH. It can be either an open or closed system. In simple terms, it is a process in which the body's internal environment is kept stable. It was defined by Claude Bernard and later by Walter Bradford Cannon in 1926,[3] 1929[4] and 1932.[5][6] Typically used to refer to a living organism, the concept came from that of milieu intrieur that was created by Claude Bernard and published in 1865. Multiple dynamic equilibrium adjustment and regulation mechanisms make homeostasis possible. Homeostasis needs to be distinguished from a simple dynamic equilibriums, which are not regulated, and steady states, which may be stable but sensitive to perturbations. The gene theory is one of the basic principles of biology. The main concept of this theory is that traits are passed from parents to offspring through gene transmission. Genes are located on chromosomes and consist of DNA. They are passed from parent to offspring through reproduction. Along with the gene theory, the cell theory, evolution,homeostasis, and the laws of thermodynamics form the basic principles that are the foundation for the study of life. For information on genes and other genetics related terms, see the Genetics Glossary. A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is widely accepted by the scientific community as a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a polypeptide or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism, though there still are controversies about what plays the role of the genetic material.[1] Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains. Genes hold the information to build and maintain an organism's cells and pass genetic traits to offspring. All organisms have many genes corresponding to various biological traits, some of which are immediately visible, such as eye color or number of limbs, and some of which are not, such as blood type, increased risk for specific diseases, or the thousands of basic biochemicalprocesses that comprise life.[citation
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The chemical structure of a four-base fragment of a DNAdouble helix. A modern working definition of a gene is "a locatable region of genomic sequence, corresponding to a unit of inheritance, which is associated with regulatory regions, transcribed regions, and or other functional sequence regions ".[2][3] Colloquial usage of the term gene (e.g. "good genes", "hair color gene") may actually refer to an allele: a gene is the basic instructiona sequence of nucleic acids (DNA or, in the case of certain viruses RNA), while an allele is one variant of that gene. Thus, when the mainstream press refers to "having" a "gene" for a specific trait, this is generally inaccurate. In most cases, all people would have a gene for the trait in question, but certain people will have a specific allele of that gene, which results in the trait variant. Further, genes code for proteins, which might result in identifiable traits, but it is the gene, not the trait, which is inherited. Properties of Living things

Early Views of life o Vitalism: Life was generated by a objects acquisition of Ethers which would manifest animate it. Led to idea of spontaneous generation Flies came from dead animals Mice came from Hay Idea was challenged by scientist Francesco Redi in 1698. Designed an experiment where 3 jars contained meat. o One Jar contained meat and had an open top which would allow the passage of ethers and flies. (maggots would appear on the meat) o The second jar was covered with an airtight lid allowing the passage of neither ethers or flies. (no maggots would appear on the meat) o The third was covered by a screen allowing passage of ethers, but not flies. (no maggots would appear on meat) Setup 1 Setup 2 Setup 3

o Since the third setup would theoretically allow the passage of ethers, but no maggots appeared, it was implied that flies were the source of the maggots. Led to the theory of Biogenesis All life comes from preexisting life

PROPERTIES of LIFE 1. Be made of Cells. The Cell is the basic unit of life Is self contained and possesses a barrier (membrane) which separates itself from the environment. Two types of organisms. Unicellular - One celled organism (Uni=1) Multicellular - Many cells (Multi=many) 2. Living Things must Reproduce. Must be able to create more of its own kind Two types of reproduction: Sexual - Two parent organisms combine genetic material to produce the offspring. Asexual - When a single organism can divide or bud to create its offspring without another of its species.

3. Living things must Have DNA. (Universal Genetic Code?) 4. Living things must Grow & Develop. Growth refers to two processes. Increase in the number of cells. Increase in the size of cells. Development refers to changes in the organism which occur through its life-span. Includes cell differentiation. Includes organ development Includes aging & death. 5. Living things obtain & use energy. Energy is used by all living things for growth, development & reproduction. Life processes which result in building the organism ia known as Anabolism. Life process where energy is extracted by breaking-down substances is called Catabolism. 6. Living things must Respond (or react) to their environment in some way. Something which causes an organism to react is known as a Stimulus (stimuli). The ability of an organism to react is called Irritability. Most responses are geared for maintaining Homeostasis. Homeostasis is a process where an organism maintains a stable internal environment so life can continue. Some examples include temperature, pH, and water content of the cell. 7. Must Maintain homeostasis. Internal stable set of internal conditions allowing the chemical reactions of life to occur. Characteristics of Living Things Objective: Identify the characteristics of living things. 1. Living things are highly organized, from the smallest part to the largest. On the chemical level: atoms make up elements. Each element has a specific number of electrons that orbit the nucleus. In the center of the element, the nucleus has protons and neutrons. The number of protons in an element is always equal to the number the electrons. The number of neutrons may vary to make isotopes of that element. Elements come together to give up, accept or equally share electrons to make molecules. The smallest part of an organism is a cell. Some single-celled organisms are free-living and contain structures, called organelles, that allow them to be self-sufficient. More complex organisms are multicellular. In the case of a human, cells are organized into tissues. These have a common function like a muscle. Tissues are organized into organs like the heart. Organs are organized into organ systems, like the cardiovascular system. Organ systems functioning together make up a living organism. A population is an organization of more than one individual. This is generally all of one species in a particular area. We could talk about the population of squirrels in our area or dogs or cats. Enlarging our view, next comes a community. An example of a community is the town or place we live. A more accurate biological description would include all the living things in that area. A community is composed of many species, including plants and animals An ecosystem not only considers the living things in an area, but also the physical environment and the interrelated flow of energy. You may live in a desert ecosystem, a forest ecosystem, or another kind of ecosystem. Most complex of all is the biosphere. In our case, this includes the all the areas of our planet where living things are found. 2. All living things have an ability to acquire materials and energy. Most of us call this eating! Then we have to be able to convert our food, a form of energy, to chemicals our cells can use through metabolism. Some organisms like plants, algae, and some microorganisms are autotrophs. The autotrophs we are most familiar with are the green plants that

usephotosynthesis to make their own "food." Some bacteria usechemosynthesis for their energy source. Animals and fungi areheterotrophs and capture their food in a variety of ways. The ability to acquire and use energy is extremely important. Without a constant input of usable energy, organisms would quickly become "disorganized" and die. In order to survive, organisms must be able to achieve homeostasis. Each type of organism has a specialized way to stay in balance with its outside and inside environments. A paramecium has a contractile vacuole that pumps excess water out of its cell in order to survive in a fresh water environment. You and I have an internal "thermostat" that helps us maintain a body temperature of about 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit. 3. All living things have an ability to respond to their environment. This often results in movement of the individual toward safety. This helps to ensure survival of the organism. For example, as young children we learned to avoid hot stoves and busy streets. Plants also have some limited ability to move. They grow up toward the sun, and some have leaves able to turn to follow the sun, allowing them to photosynthesize better. Their roots grow down to search for water and minerals. If a plant doesn't get enough sunlight, water or minerals it will die. 4. All living things have an ability to reproduce. All living things, even the smallest bacteria, have a chromosomecontaining DNA. Prokaryotes like bacteria only have one circular chromosome, called a plasmid. Eukaryotes, multicellular organisms like plants and humans, have a species-specific number of chromosomes. As humans, we have 46 chromosomes, in 23 pairs. Genes on chromosomes contain the instructions for the organism's structure and function. However, the amazing diversity of organisms on earth have resulted because most organisms reproduce sexually. Some, like earthworms arehermaphrodites. Most others have separate sexes, male and female, like marijuana plants, fish, birds, cattle and humans. In order for two organisms to combine their genetic information without doubling the number of chromosomes given to offspring, Mother Nature came up with a way to reduce the number of chromosomes. Without it, each new generation would have double the number of its parents' chromosomes. This halving is done by meiosis in the sex organs. In the female, the ovary produces haploid eggs and in the male the testesproduces haploid sperm. Each of these gametes contains only one chromosome from each of the pairs of chromosomes. During fertilization, the sperm and egg unite to form a zygote, a diploid individual. This new individual is different from either parent, although it contains characteristics from both. This is what gives us the great diversity of life. In living things, we call this genetic biodiversity. 5. All living things have an ability to adapt. Modifications enable an organism to survive in its environment. Natural selection allows individuals with better adaptations to survive better and reproduce more. Thus, their characteristics are passed into future generations and that makes the species stronger. However, it is important to note that individuals can only adapt to their environment, and species dont adapt, they evolve. All living things: 1. Are comprised of one or more units called cells 2. Reproduce (sexually or asexually) 3. Grow and develop 4. Obtain and use energy 5. Respond to their environment 1) All living things are comprised of cells. Cell- a collection of living matter enclosed by a barrier that protects it from its surroundings. Unicellular organism- a one-celled organism (e.g. bacteria) Multicellular organisman organism made of more than one cell, starfish, turtle) 2) All living things reproduce that is, they produce new individuals similar to themselves. Why is reproduction necessary? To replace the dead ones. Two Kinds of Reproduction: Asexual Reproduction: The prefix a- means without, so without sex. A single organism reproduces without the aid of another. - Common among bacteria and other microscopic organisms - Splitting (bacterial cells) or budding (plants)

Sexual Reproduction: two cells from different individuals unite to produce the first cell of a new organism. Union of a sperm cell from male united with egg cell from female. * Some organisms are capable of sexual and asexual reproduction. 3) All living things grow and develop Life does not necessarily mean continuous growth During growth organisms undergo a cycle of changes called development. Bodily maintenance occurs throughout life (requires energy). Aging occurs when an organism loses its ability to maintain itself. 4) All living things obtain and use energy Energy required for growth and maintenance Energy (usually sugars) obtained from the environment Anabolism - a process (such as tissue growth) that involves synthesizing, or putting together, complex substances from simpler substances (sugars) (REQUIRES ENERGY) Catabolism- final breakdown (digestion) of complex substances into simpler ones, (RELEASES ENERGY) Metabolism- total sum of all chemical reactions in the body, or the balance between anabolism and catabolism 5) All living things respond to their environment Stimulus (plural stimuli)- anything that causes an organism to react Irritability- the ability to react Can plants respond to stimuli? Yes, but normally not as quickly as animals. Homeostasis- (homeo- similar, -stasis standing) an organisms ability to maintain the constant or stable conditions necessary for life. Just as the thermostat automatically cools or warms a room if it deviates from a desired temperature, your body maintains a constant temperature, 98.6 F or 37 C, at which it functions optimally. 1) Living things are highly ordered. 2) Living things are organized into units called cells. 3) Living things use energy from their environment 4) Living organisms respond to stimuli 5) Living things develop. 6) Living things reproduce themselves 7) Living things contain genetic information

Levels of Organization In unicellular (single-celled) organisms, the single cell performs all life functions. It functions independently. However, multicellular (many celled) organisms have various levels of organization within them. Individual cells may perform specific functions and also work together for the good of the entire organism. The cells become dependent on one another. Multicellular organisms have the following 5 levels of organization ranging from simplest to most complex: LEVEL 1 - Cells Are the basic unit of structure and function in living things. May serve a specific function within the organism Examples- blood cells, nerve cells, bone cells, etc. LEVEL 2 - Tissues Made up of cells that are similar in structure and function and which work together to perform a specific activity Examples - blood, nervous, bone, etc. Humans have 4 basic tissues: connective, epithelial, muscle, and nerve.

LEVEL 3 - Organs Made up of tissues that work together to perform a specific activity Examples - heart, brain, skin, etc. LEVEL4 - Organ Systems Groups of two or more tissues that work together to perform a specific function for the organism. Examples - circulatory system, nervous system, skeletal system, etc. The Human body has 11 organ systems - circulatory, digestive, endocrine, excretory (urinary), immune(lymphatic), integumentary, muscular, nervous, reproductive, respiratory, and skeletal. LEVEL 5 - Organisms Entire living things that can carry out all basic life processes. Meaning they can take in materials, release energy from food, release wastes, grow, respond to the environment, and reproduce. Usually made up of organ systems, but an organism may be made up of only one cell such as bacteria or protist. Examples - bacteria, amoeba, mushroom, sunflower, human Metabolism: Chemical reactions taking place in cells. Stimuli: Changes in the environment which organisms response to. Characteristics Of Living Organisms In order to identify living organisms, scientists listed 7 characteristics which all living organisms have: 1. Nutrition: Taking in nutrients which are organic substances and mineral ions, containing raw materials and energy for growth and tissue repair, absorbing and assimilating them. 2. Excretion: Removal from organisms of toxic materials, the waste products of metabolism and substances in excess. 3. Respiration: Chemical reactions that break down nutrient molecules in living cells to release energy. 4. Sensitivity: The ability to detect or sense changes in the environment and to make responses. 5. Reproduction: Progresses that make more of the same kind of organism. 6. Growth: The permanent increase in size and dry mass by an increase in number of cells, cell size, or both. 7. Movement: An action by an organism or part of an organism that changes position or place. The seven characteristics could be memorized by the term Mrs. Gren: