Physical models of human being
We are all very familiar with this model, the one on which the current medical world is based. An organic body composed primarily of Carbon, Oxygen and Nitrogen with some trace elements thrown in. The more you study the human body the more you find how intricate and complex it is.
(Pictures are courtesy of Microsoft Encarta Encyclopaedia 97)
Skeletal system - there are more than 200 bones in the human body. The bone structure is quite hard, and can last hundreds of years after the rest of the body has rotted away.
Muscular system - muscles, tendons and ligaments are long pieces of tissue (high in protein). The muscles are used to move the bones.
Nervous system - the nerves carry impulses from the brain which tell the muscles what to do. There are two major divisions of nerves: somatic (cerebro-spinal) which are under voluntary control (raising arms, walking, etc.), and autonomic which are involuntary (eg heart).
Autonomic nerves include both sympathetic, and parasympathetic. Many muscles and glands have both types - sympathetic increases heartbeat, parasympathetic decreases heartbeat.
Circulatory system - blood is pumped round the body by the heart, taking oxygen from the lungs and delivering the energy to the muscles and glands throughout the body. This is how energy is distributed throughout the body.
Respiratory system - breathing equipment. Oxygen is taken into the lungs, and Carbon Dioxide expelled. Blood pumped through the lungs releases Carbon Dioxide and absorbs Oxygen.
Endocrine system - important glands in the body responsible for regulating body functions. The pituitary is a master gland, regulating the operation of the others. The thyroid gland is responsible for growth - it shuts down during early teenage years, the body stops growing, but the reproductive organs develop. The adrenals are associated with fight/flight responses, and the ovaries/testes with reproduction.
Digestive system - the ingestion of food and liquids, breaking down, and absorption into the body. Waste material is excreted from the rectum.
Urinary system - the blood system is filtered by the kidneys and waste materials collect in the bladder where they are later excreted from the body.
Nothing above should be any surprise! Once all the bits and pieces have been put together, a nice layer of skin and hair is used to make the body presentable to the world. The human body is extremely complex. Whilst huge medical advances have been made over the last 100 years, and doctors can do impressive feats, not everything is yet understood. Organ transplants can be carried out, but organ rejection still occurs. Will we one day be able to transplant a head from one body to another?
This is a good physical model of the human body, but it doesn't explain emotions or creativity, or thoughts and ideas.
Genes and Chromosones
Race types and chromosomes - Science recognises one species of humans on the planet - Homo Sapiens Sapiens. There are, however, 5 different races:
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Races are distinguished by hair and skin colour, build, and other physical features, and is the result of inbreeding within geographically defined populations over a period of time. Today with the ease of travel and movement around the world, interbreeding is taking place and the race characteristics are breaking down.
Race characteristics are determined by certain genes in the human chromosomes. Humans have 23 pairs of chromosomes - 22 from the Father plus a Y chromosome, and 22 from the Mother plus an X chromosome. Chromosomes consist of twisted strands of DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), which are made up of nucleotide sections composed of four bases Adenine (A), Thymine (T), Guanine (G), and Cytosine (C). These bases combine in various ways, and nucleotide sequences on the DNA strand are known as genes. Between the genes on the chromosomes are long intervals of rubbish or redundant material - only about 2% of the chromosome actually contain genes. These strands are very long, and for human beings the genetic variation possible allows for billions of different individuals.
This is what science says we are - the product of the code in these chromosomes. Certainly, the characteristics of the physical body are determined by the composition of these genetic codes, but evidence is mounting into the influence of the environment, thoughts and emotions, on the activation of gene codes.
Advances in Genetic Engineering in recent years is disturbing to many people, with the possibility of cloning human beings a very real possibility (in fact, as of 2002 it seems that Italian doctors have succeeded in impregnating several women with cloned embryo). Work is also underway on the aging mechanism, and some scientists have already claimed that the current generation may be the last to die! Initial trials indicate that the normal 70 year lifespan could be easily quadrupled. Indeed, some are claiming that the first humans to live for 1,000 years are alive today!
© In the Light, 17 September, 2009 , Disclaimer, Son of Suckerfish drop-downs from HTML dog