Messages “The meaning of biology. The role of biology in the formation of a modern natural-scientific picture of the world, in the practical activities of people The significance of biology
The role of biology in modern reality is hard to overestimate, because it carefully studies human life in all its manifestations. At present, this science combines such fundamental concepts as evolution, cell theory, genetics, homeostasis and energy. Its function includes the study of the development of all living things, and specifically: the structure of organisms, their behavior, as well as the relationship between themselves and the connection with the environment.
The importance of biology in human life becomes clear if we draw a parallel between the main problems of an individual's life, for example, health, nutrition, and also the choice of good criteria for existence. Today, countless sciences are known that have separated from biology, becoming more necessary and independent. These include zoology, botany, microbiology, and virology. It is difficult to single out the most important of them, they all represent a complex of the most valuable basic knowledge accumulated by civilization.
Outstanding scientists worked in this field of knowledge, such as Claudius Galen, Hippocrates, Carl Linnaeus, Charles Darwin, Alexander Oparin, Ilya Mechnikov and many others. Thanks to their discoveries, especially the study of living organisms, the science of morphology, also physiology, appeared, which gathered within itself knowledge about the systems of organisms of living creatures. Genetics has played an invaluable role in the development of hereditary diseases.
Biology has become a strong foundation in medicine, sociology and ecology. It is important that this science, like any other, is not static, but is constantly supplemented by new knowledge, which is transformed in the form of new biotheories and laws.
The role of biology in modern society, and especially in medicine, has no price. Specifically, with its help, methods of curing bacteriological and rapidly spreading viral diseases were found. Whenever we think about the question of what is the role of biology in modern society, we remember that it was precisely thanks to the heroism of medical biologists that the centers of terrible epidemics disappeared from planet Earth: plague, cholera, typhoid fever, anthrax, smallpox and other more unsafe for a person's life of disease.
It can be asserted without fear, emphasizing the facts, that the role of biology in modern society is growing continuously. It is unrealistic for oneself to imagine modern life without selection, genetic research, the production of new food products, as well as environmentally friendly energy sources.
The main significance of biology lies in the fact that it is the foundation and theoretical basis for many promising sciences, such as genetic engineering and bionics. She owns the majestic discovery - the decoding of the human genome. Such a direction as biotechnology was also created on the basis of knowledge combined in biology. Currently, this kind of technology allows you to create non-hazardous drugs for prevention and healing, which does not harm the body. As a result, it is possible to increase not only the duration of life, but also its quality.
The role of biology in modern society lies in the fact that there are areas where its knowledge is simply needed, for example, the drug industry, gerontology, forensics, agriculture, construction, and space exploration.
The unstable ecological situation on Earth requires a rethinking of production activities, and the importance of biology in human life is moving to a new level. Every year we become witnesses of large-scale catastrophes that affect both the poorest countries and the highly developed ones. Almost all of them are caused by the growth of the world's population, the unreasonable introduction of energy sources, as well as the existing economic and social contradictions in modern society.
The true shows us correctly that the very future existence of civilization can only be in the presence of harmony in the environment. Only the observance of bio laws, as well as the widespread introduction of progressive biotechnologies based on ecological thinking, will ensure a natural, non-dangerous coexistence for all the inhabitants of the planet without exception.
The role of biology in modern society is expressed in the fact that it has now been transformed into a real force. Thanks to her knowledge, the well-being of our planet can be. That is why the answer to the question of what is the role of biology in modern society can be this - this is the sacred key to harmony between nature and man.
"What is the meaning of biology in life?" message, summarized in this article, will reveal all the positive aspects of this area and the possibilities of its use in the future.
Posts: Meaning of Biology
Biology is a system of sciences that studies wildlife. It includes many sciences, the first of which arose botany and zoology. This happened over 2000 years ago. Over time, many directions have arisen, which you will become familiar with later.
Every living organism lives in its own specific environment. It is part of nature that animals interact with. Around a person there are a large number of living organisms: fungi, bacteria, animals and plants. And each group is studied by a separate biological science.
Separately, biology is a science that, through its research, is designed to convince humanity of a careful attitude to nature, compliance with laws. This is the science of the future. Therefore, it is difficult to overestimate the role of biology in the future, because it studies life and all its manifestations in every detail. Modern biology unites such concepts as cell theory, evolution, genetics, energy and homeostasis.
Today, new sciences have separated from biology, which play an important role not only for humanity today, but also in the future. These are genetics, botany, zoology, microbiology, morphology, physiology and virology. They represent a whole complex of valuable, fundamental knowledge accumulated over the years by civilization.
The use of biological knowledge in everyday life
Today, humanity faces acute problems of health protection, food supply, conservation of the diversity of organisms on the planet and ecology. For example, biology in human daily life has helped save many lives through the development of antibiotics. Science also helps to provide humanity with food - scientists have created high-yielding varieties of plants, new breeds of animals. Biologists study soils and develop technologies to preserve and increase their fertility. From fungi and bacteria, people have learned to get kefir, cheeses and yogurt.
Biological science is a strong foundation in sociology, medicine and ecology. She is constantly updated with knowledge. This is its value. Thanks to biology, people have learned to cure bacteriological and viral diseases. The works of research were not in vain: the sources of such terrible diseases as typhoid, cholera, smallpox and anthrax disappeared from the planet.
The role of biology is growing continuously. Today, the human genome has been deciphered, and in the future, even greater discoveries await us. This will help such a direction as biotechnology, which aims not only to create safe drugs, but also to increase the quality of life itself.
Compliance with biological laws and the use of biotechnology will ensure the safe coexistence of all the inhabitants of the planet. In the future, biology will transform into a real force contributing to the prosperity of the Earth and harmony between man and nature.
We hope that the message on the topic “The Importance of Biology” helped you prepare for the lesson, and you learned the importance of biological knowledge for the future of man. And you can add a story about the meaning of biology through the comment form below.
Question 1. What does biology study?.
Biology- the science of life as a special phenomenon of nature - studies life in all its manifestations: the structure, functioning of living organisms, their behavior, relationships with each other and the environment, as well as the individual and historical development of living things.
Question 2. Why is modern biology considered a complex science?
In the process of progressive development and as it was enriched with new facts, biology was transformed into a complex of sciences that explore the patterns inherent in living beings from different angles. Thus, the biological sciences that study animals (zoology), plants (botany), bacteria (microbiology), and viruses (virology) have become isolated. The structure of organisms is studied by morphology, the functioning of living systems - physiology, heredity and variability - genetics. The structure and properties of the human body are studied by medicine, in which independent disciplines are distinguished - anatomy, physiology, histology, biochemistry, microbiology. But the main thing is that the knowledge obtained by each of these sciences is combined, mutually supplemented, enriched and manifested in the form of biological laws and theories that are of a universal nature. The peculiarity of modern biology lies in the assertion of the principle of the unity of the main life support mechanisms, the awareness of the role of the evolutionary process in the existence and changes of the organic world, which includes humans, the recognition of the paramount importance of environmental laws with their extension to humans.
Modern biology cannot develop in isolation from other sciences. Each process or phenomenon characteristic of living systems is studied in a comprehensive manner, using the latest knowledge from other scientific fields. Therefore, biology is currently being integrated with chemistry (biochemistry), physics (biophysics), and astronomy (space biology).
Thus, modern biology arose as a result of differentiation and integration of different scientific disciplines and is a complex science.
Question 3. What is the role of biology in modern society?
The significance of biology in modern society lies in the fact that it serves as the theoretical basis for many sciences. Biological knowledge is used in various spheres of human life. Biology determines the development of modern medicine. The discoveries made in physiology, biochemistry and genetics make it possible to correctly diagnose a patient and choose an effective treatment. Obtaining new drugs, vitamins, biologically active substances will solve the problem of preventing many diseases. The importance of biological knowledge in shaping the doctor's worldview is just as obvious.
With the development of molecular biology and genetics, it became possible to purposefully change the content of the hereditary information of humans, plants and animals. All this gives impetus to the development of modern medicine and breeding. Breeders, thanks to the knowledge of the laws of heredity and variability, create new high-yielding varieties of cultivated plants, highly productive breeds of domestic animals, forms of microorganisms used in the food industry, feed production, and pharmaceuticals. Doctors have the opportunity to study human hereditary diseases and find ways to treat them.
In technology, biological knowledge is the theoretical basis for a number of industries in the food, light, microbiological and other industries. A new direction of production is developing - biotechnology (food production, search for new energy sources).
At the present stage of development of society, environmental problems have become of paramount importance, which makes the inevitable process of greening science, including biology as a science of living organisms. The solution of the problem of rational use of biological resources, protection of nature and the environment is possible only with the use of biology.
1. Chemical composition. Living organisms consist of the same chemical elements as non-living ones, but organisms contain molecules of substances that are characteristic only of living things (nucleic acids, proteins, lipids).
2. Discreteness and integrity. Any biological system (cell, organism, species) consists of separate parts, i.e. discrete. The interaction of these parts forms an integral system (for example, individual organs are part of the body).
3. Structural organization. All living systems are a complex of complex self-regulating metabolic processes that proceed in a certain order, aimed at maintaining the constancy of the internal environment.
4. Irritability and movement. All living things react to external influences due to the property irritability. For example, plants respond to stimuli in the form of tropisms (changes in growth direction towards the light). Animals respond to exposure with movement (run away at the sight of danger, move towards food, etc.).
5. Self-regulation and homeostasis. The action of environmental stimuli leads to a change in the state of the organism. The body's ability to withstand environmental influences is provided by homeostasis. homeostasis- the constancy of the internal environment of the body. Homeostasis is maintained by the coordinated activity of cells, tissues and organs of the body, which is a sign of self-regulation.
6. Metabolism and energy. Living organisms are open systems that exchange matter and energy with the environment.
7. Self-reproduction and self-updating. Self-reproduction is realized through different forms of reproduction (asexual and sexual). Self-renewal is the process of creating new cells and destroying excess ones in one organism.
8. A living organism is peculiar heredity, which provided by the properties of the DNA molecule. In this case, violations may occur that lead to a change in traits in descendants - variability.
9. Growth and development. Organisms inherit genetic information about the development of certain traits from their parents. This happens during individual development - ontogeny. At a certain stage of ontogenesis, growth organism - an increase in size due to the biosynthesis of new molecules and an increase in the number of cells. Growth is accompanied development- an irreversible process of change from birth to death.
10. Evolution. Evolution is a process of development and change in life forms, characterized by an increase in the level of organization of representatives of subsequent generations compared to previous generations.
4. Practical importance of biology
Biological knowledge is extremely important because biology serves as a theoretical basis for many scientific and applied areas - medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, etc.
Even Hippocrates noted: "It is necessary that every doctor understand nature." All medical sciences use biological knowledge. For example, advances in molecular biology, biochemistry and microbiology make it possible to fight various human diseases at the cellular level. Thus, the microbiological industry produces many antibiotics that help fight various human diseases.
Knowledge of the laws of genetics makes it possible to obtain new highly productive plant varieties and animal breeds. Knowledge of the ecology of commercial species of animals (for example, fish) makes it possible to plan their capture rates that do not reduce natural productivity. In recent years, much attention has been paid to the creation of genetically modified organisms, including food products (soybeans, tomatoes, potatoes, etc.). In comparison with the original forms, they are more productive, resistant to diseases, etc. With the participation of biologists, activities are carried out for the introduction (settlement in new habitats) and acclimatization of plants and animals.
By observing the state of plants and animals, biologists assess the ecological situation in a particular region, giving an assessment of the human habitat.
The role of biology in modern society
The role of biology in modern reality is difficult to overestimate, because it studies in detail human life in all its manifestations. Currently, this science combines such important concepts as evolution, cell theory, genetics, homeostasis and energy. Its functions include the study of the development of all living things, namely: the structure of organisms, their behavior, as well as the relationship between themselves and the relationship with the environment.
The importance of biology in human life becomes clear if we draw a parallel between the main problems of an individual's life, for example, health, nutrition, as well as the choice of optimal living conditions. To date, numerous sciences are known that have separated from biology, becoming no less important and independent. These include zoology, botany, microbiology, and virology. Of these, it is difficult to single out the most significant, they all represent a complex of the most valuable fundamental knowledge accumulated by civilization.
Outstanding scientists worked in this field of knowledge, such as Claudius Galen, Hippocrates, Carl Linnaeus, Charles Darwin, Alexander Oparin, Ilya Mechnikov and many others. Thanks to their discoveries, especially the study of living organisms, the science of morphology appeared, as well as physiology, which gathered knowledge about the systems of organisms of living beings. Genetics has played an invaluable role in the development of hereditary diseases.
Biology has become a solid foundation in medicine, sociology and ecology. It is important that this science, like any other, is not static, but is constantly updated with new knowledge, which is transformed in the form of new biological theories and laws.
The role of biology in modern society, and especially in medicine, is priceless. It was with its help that methods of treating bacteriological and rapidly spreading viral diseases were found. Every time we think about the question of what is the role of biology in modern society, we remember that it was thanks to the heroism of medical biologists that the centers of terrible epidemics disappeared from planet Earth: plague, cholera, typhoid fever, anthrax, smallpox and others no less life-threatening diseases.
We can safely say, based on the facts, that the role of biology in modern society is growing continuously. It is impossible to imagine modern life without selection, genetic research, the production of new food products, as well as environmentally friendly energy sources.
The main significance of biology is that it is the foundation and theoretical basis for many promising sciences, such as genetic engineering and bionics. She owns a great discovery - the decoding of the human genome. Such a direction as biotechnology was also created on the basis of knowledge combined in biology. Currently, it is precisely this nature of technology that makes it possible to create safe drugs for prevention and treatment that do not harm the body. As a result, it is possible to increase not only life expectancy, but also its quality.
The role of biology in modern society lies in the fact that there are areas where its knowledge is simply necessary, for example, the pharmaceutical industry, gerontology, forensics, agriculture, construction, and space exploration.
The unstable ecological situation on Earth requires a rethinking of production activities, and the importance of biology in human life is moving to a new level. Every year we are witnessing large-scale catastrophes that affect both the poorest states and highly developed ones. In many ways, they are caused by the growth of the world's population, the unreasonable use of energy sources, as well as the existing economic and social contradictions in modern society.
The present clearly indicates to us that the very further existence of civilization is possible only if there is harmony in the environment. Only the observance of biological laws, as well as the widespread use of progressive biotechnologies based on ecological thinking, will ensure a natural safe coexistence for all the inhabitants of the planet without exception.
The role of biology in modern society is expressed in the fact that it has now been transformed into a real force. Thanks to her knowledge, the prosperity of our planet is possible. That is why the answer to the question of what is the role of biology in modern society can be this - this is the cherished key to harmony between nature and man.
The value of biology in medicine. Relationship of biology with medicine
Medicine of the 21st century is almost entirely based on the achievements of biology. Groups of scientists who are engaged in such branches of science as genetics, molecular biology, immunology, biotechnology, contribute to the development of modern methods of combating diseases. This proves the connection between biology and medicine.
Biology plays a big role in the development of medicine
Modern biological discoveries allow mankind to reach a fundamentally new level in the development of medicine. For example, Japanese scientists were able to isolate and multiply naturally stem cells obtained from the tissues of an ordinary average man. Discoveries like these can undoubtedly influence the medicine of the future.
Experimental biology and medicine are closely related. Of the branches of biology, this applies not only to genetics, molecular biology or biotechnology, but also to such fundamental areas as botany, plant physiology, zoology and, of course, human anatomy and physiology. Deep research into new species of plants and animals can lead to the discovery of harmless, natural ways to fight disease. Discoveries in the field of anatomy and physiology can lead to a qualitative improvement in the process of treatment, rehabilitation or surgery.
Problems of medicine
The modern level of medicine is fundamentally different from that which existed 20-30 years ago. The number of infant mortality has decreased, the period of life expectancy has increased. But still today some questions cannot be solved even by the best doctors.
Perhaps the main problem of modern medicine is funding. The discovery of new drugs, the creation of prostheses, the cultivation of organs and tissues - all this requires fantastic costs. This problem also applies to the patients themselves. Most complex surgeries require a large amount of money, and some drugs take almost the entire monthly salary. The development of biology and discoveries in many of its areas can lead to a qualitative leap in medicine, which will become cheaper, but at the same time more perfect.
Fundamental medicine and biology
The importance of biology in medicine cannot be overestimated: the simplest operations require high skills in the field of practical anatomy. Knowing the structure of a person, the functions of organs, the location of each vessel and nerve - all this is an integral part of training at any medical university.
Surgery is just one branch of modern medicine. Thanks to numerous discoveries in the field of biology, a person can receive specialized and professional treatment. A surgeon using the latest equipment is able to perform high-level operations, including transplantation of organs and tissues. Already in 2009, the first heart and kidney transplant operation was performed. All this was achieved with the help of the discoveries of biologists, so the role of biology in medicine is undeniable.
Genetics in medicine
The great importance of biology in medicine is also associated with the study of human hereditary diseases. By studying the transmission of genes from generation to generation, scientists have been able to discover a number of genetic diseases. This also includes the most dangerous of them: Down syndrome, cystic fibrosis, hemophilia.
Today it has become possible to predict the appearance of genetic diseases in a child. If a couple wants to analyze whether the appearance of such diseases in their children is possible, they can turn to special clinics. There, having studied the family tree of the parents, they can calculate the percentage of abnormalities in the baby. 
Human genome sequencing
Reading the human genome is one of the most important tasks of modern biology. It was already solved by 2008, but the properties of this genome have not been finally studied. It is assumed that in the future it will be possible to switch to personal medicine using an individual passport of the human genome. Why is it important to know the genetic sequence?
Each person is an individual organism. A drug that can cure a disease in one person may cause side effects in another. Today, doctors cannot accurately predict whether negative consequences will arise when exposed to a particular antibiotic or drug. If the genome of each person is completely decoded, the course of treatment will be tailored individually for each patient. This will not only increase the effectiveness of therapy, but also help to avoid the side effects of drugs. 
Genome sequencing of bacteria, plants and animals is already bearing fruit. Modern biological scientists are able to use the genes of other organisms for their own purposes. Here, the role of biology in medicine is due to the fact that genes useful for humans can help in the treatment of many diseases. So, bacteria synthesizing natural insulin is no longer a fiction. Moreover, the production of insulin is carried out on an industrial scale in special factories where bacteria are specially cultivated, and their strains are used to produce the desired hormone. As a result, a person who has diabetes can maintain a normal life.
Biotechnology - the future of medicine
Biotechnology is a young and at the same time one of the most important branches of biology. At the present stage of development of medicine, many ways to combat diseases have already been discovered. Among them are antibiotics, medicines of animal and herbal origin, chemicals, vaccines. However, there is a problem in which the effectiveness of some antibiotics and drugs decreases over time. This is due to the fact that microorganisms, especially bacteria and viruses, are constantly mutating, adapting to new methods of dealing with drugs. 
Biotechnology in the future will allow changing the structure of substances, creating new types of medicines. For example, it will be possible to carry out a conformational change in the penicillin molecule, as a result of which we will get another substance with the same properties.
Tumor diseases are an acute problem of modern medicine. The fight against cancer cells is a goal of paramount importance for scientists around the world. To date, such substances are known that are able to suppress the development of a tumor. These include bleomycin and anthracycline. However, the main problem is that the use of such drugs can lead to disruption and cardiac arrest. It is believed that a change in the structure of bleomycin and anthracycline will relieve unwanted effects on the human body. This only confirms the great importance of biology in medicine.
Use of stem cells
Today, many scientists believe that stem cells are the path to eternal youth. This is due to their specific properties.
Stem cells are able to differentiate absolutely into any cells and tissues of the body. They can give rise to blood cells, nerve cells, bone and muscle cells. The human embryo consists entirely of stem cells, which is explained by the need for constant division and construction of organ and tissue systems. With age, the number of stem cells in the human body decreases, which is one of the causes of aging.
When transplanting organs and tissues, there is a problem of rejection of foreign cells by the body. This can sometimes lead to death. To avoid this situation, scientists have made an attempt to grow organs from human stem cells. This method opens up great prospects for transplantology, since organs synthesized from the patient's cells will not be rejected by his body.
Biology in modern medicine
High-quality treatment of diseases directly depends on advances in the field of biology. The great importance of biology in medicine is also explained by the fact that modern branches of science are aimed at improving the methods of combating human diseases. In the near future, a person will be able to recover from cancer, AIDS, and diabetes. Genetic diseases can be bypassed in infancy, and the creation of an ideal person will no longer be a fiction.
Great Soviet Encyclopedia. - M.: Soviet Encyclopedia. 1969-1978.
The value of biology in human life
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Biology is the theoretical basis of medicine, nature conservation and rational nature management and is becoming more and more important in scientific and technological progress as a new productive force. It creates a new technology - biological, which is the prerequisite for a new industrial revolution. Biological culture is part of the general human culture. It is manifested in the knowledge, worldview of a person and in his actions in relation to wildlife. The centuries-old, dramatic history of biology reflects the struggle of views and ideas, absorbs the features of social development at one time or another. On the other hand, natural science knowledge and the achievements of the biological sciences have had the most effective influence on the development of society itself from ancient times to the present day. The study of the history of biology will allow us to trace the gradual formation of the leading ideas about the development of nature, the triumph of some views and the deserved or undeserved denial of others.
Olya basket
1. Modern biology has become a real productive force.
2. Without biological and ecological thinking, the existence of civilization is impossible.
3. Biology to medicine: study and development of ways to combat parasitic, bacteriological, viral diseases, training of specialists.
4. Biology is the foundation of many sciences, including medicine, sociology and ecology.
5. Biotechnology - a supplier of raw materials, medicines, and other important resources.
6. Spheres of human life where biological knowledge is needed: forensics, gerontology, animal training, agriculture, industry, pharmaceuticals, construction, space, etc.
There are a lot of directions for a person to use knowledge in biology, for example, here are a few (let's go from large to small):
Knowledge laws of ecology allows you to regulate human activities within the limits of the conservation of the ecosystem in which he lives and works (rational nature management);
· Botany and genetics allow you to increase productivity, fight pests and develop new, necessary and useful varieties;
· Genetics at the moment so tightly intertwined with medicine that many diseases that were previously considered incurable are studied and prevented already at the embryonic stages of human development;
· With the help of microbiology, scientists around the world are developing sera and vaccines against viruses and a wide variety of antibacterial drugs.
Differences between living structures and non-living ones. properties of the living
Biology The science that studies the properties of living systems. However, it is rather difficult to define what a living system is. The line between living and non-living is not as easy to draw as it seems. Try to answer the questions, are viruses alive when they rest outside the host organism and do not metabolize them? Can artificial objects and machines exhibit the properties of living things? What about computer programs? Or languages?
To answer these questions, we can try to isolate the minimum set of properties characteristic of living systems. That is why scientists have established several criteria by which an organism can be classified as living.
The most important of characteristic properties (criteria) of living are the following:
1. Exchange of matter and energy with the environment. From the point of view of physics, all living systems are open, that is, they constantly exchange both matter and energy with the environment, in contrast to closed completely isolated from the outside world, and semi-closed that exchange only energy, not matter. We shall see later that this exchange is a necessary condition for the existence of life.
2. Living systems are capable of accumulating substances from the environment and, as a result, growth.
3. Modern biology considers the ability to be identical (or almost identical) to be a fundamental property of living beings self-reproduction, that is, reproduction with the preservation of most of the properties of the original organism.
4. Identical self-reproduction is inextricably linked with the concept heredity, that is, the transfer of signs and properties to offspring.
5. However, heredity is not absolute - if all daughter organisms exactly copied the parent ones, then no evolution would be possible, since living organisms would never change. This would lead to the fact that with any sharp change in conditions, they would all die. But life is extremely flexible, and organisms adapt to the widest range of conditions. This is possible thanks to variability- the fact that the self-reproduction of organisms is not completely identical, in the course of it errors and variations occur, which can be material for selection. There is a certain balance between heredity and variability.
6. Variability can be hereditary and non-hereditary. Hereditary variability, that is, the emergence of new variations of traits that are inherited and fixed in a number of generations, serves as material for natural selection. Natural selection is possible among any reproducing objects, not necessarily living ones, if there is competition between them for limited resources. Those objects that, due to variability, have acquired unsuitable, unfavorable signs in a given environment, will be rejected, therefore, signs that give a competitive advantage in the struggle will be found more and more often in new objects. This is natural selection - the creative factor of evolution, thanks to which all the diversity of living organisms on Earth has arisen.
7. Living organisms actively respond to external signals, showing the property irritability.
8. Due to their ability to respond to changing external conditions, living organisms are capable of adaptation- adaptation to new conditions. This property, in particular, allows organisms to survive various cataclysms and spread to new territories.
9. Adaptation is carried out by self-regulation, that is, the ability to maintain the constancy of certain physical and chemical parameters in a living organism, including in changing environmental conditions. For example, the human body maintains a constant temperature, the concentration of glucose in the blood, and many other substances.
10. An important property of earthly life is discreteness, that is, discontinuity: it is represented by individual individuals, individuals are united in populations, populations - into species, etc., that is, at all levels of organization of the living there are separate units. Stanisław Lem's science fiction novel Solaris describes a vast living ocean that covers the entire planet. But there are no such life forms on Earth.
The chemical composition of living
Living organisms consist of a huge number of chemicals, organic and inorganic, polymeric and low molecular weight. Many chemical elements present in the environment have been found in living systems, but only about 20 of them are necessary for life. These elements are called biogenic.
In the process of evolution from inorganic to bioorganic substances, the basis for the use of certain chemical elements in the creation of biosystems is natural selection. As a result of such selection, only six elements form the basis of all living systems: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, and sulfur, which are called organogens. Their content in the body reaches 97.4%.
Organogens are the main chemical elements that make up organic substances: carbon, hydrogen, oxygen and nitrogen.
From the point of view of chemistry, the natural selection of organogenic elements can be explained by their ability to form chemical bonds: on the one hand, they are strong enough, that is, energy-intensive, and on the other hand, they are quite labile, which could easily succumb to hemolysis, heterolysis, and cyclic redistribution.
The number one organogen is undoubtedly carbon. Its atoms form strong covalent bonds with each other or with atoms of other elements. These bonds can be single or multiple, thanks to these 3 bonds, carbon is able to form conjugated or cumulated systems in the form of open or closed chains, cycles.
Unlike carbon, the organogenic elements hydrogen and oxygen do not form labile bonds, but their presence in an organic molecule, including a bioorganic molecule, determines its ability to interact with a biosolvent-water. In addition, hydrogen and oxygen are carriers of the redox properties of living systems, they ensure the unity of redox processes.
The remaining three organogens - nitrogen, phosphorus and sulfur, as well as some other elements - iron, magnesium, which make up the active centers of enzymes, like carbon, are capable of forming labile bonds. A positive property of organogens is also the fact that they, as a rule, form compounds that are readily soluble in water and therefore concentrate in the body.
There are several classifications of chemical elements contained in the human body. So, V.I. Vernadsky, depending on the average content in living organisms, divided the elements into three groups:
1. Macronutrients. These are elements whose content in the body is above 10 - ² %. These include carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulfur, calcium, magnesium, sodium and chlorine, potassium, and iron. These so-called universal biogenic elements present in the cells of all organisms.
2. Trace elements. These are elements whose content in the body is in the range from 10 - ² to 10 - ¹²%. These include iodine, copper, arsenic, fluorine, bromine, strontium, barium, cobalt. Although these elements are found in organisms in extremely low concentrations (not higher than a thousandth of a percent), they are also necessary for normal life. These are biogenic trace elements. Their functions and roles are very diverse. Many trace elements are part of a number of enzymes, vitamins, respiratory pigments, some affect growth, development rate, reproduction, etc.
3. Ultramicroelements. These are elements whose content in the body is below 10-¹²%. These include mercury, gold, uranium, radium, etc.
V.V. Kovalsky, based on the degree of importance of chemical elements for human life, divided them into three groups:
1. Essential elements. They are constantly in the human body, are part of its inorganic and organic compounds. These are H, O, Ca, N, K, P, Na, S, Mg, Cl, C, I, Mn, Cu, Co, Zn, Fe, Mo, V. Deficiency of these elements leads to disruption of the normal functioning of the body.
2. Impurity elements. These elements are constantly present in the human body, but their biological role is not always clear or little studied. These are Ga, Sb, Sr, Br, F, B, Be, Li, Si, Sn, Cs, As, Ba, Ge, Rb, Pb, Ra, Bi, Cd, Cr, Ni, Ti, Ag, Th, Hg , Ce, Se.
3. Trace elements. They are found in the human body, but there is no information about their quantitative content or biological role. These are Sc, Tl, In, La, Sm, Pr, W, Re, Tb, etc. The chemical elements necessary for the construction and vital activity of cells and organisms are called biogenic.
Among inorganic substances and components, the main place is occupied by - water.
Certain concentrations of inorganic ions are necessary to maintain the ionic strength and pH environment at which vital processes take place. To maintain a certain ionic strength and connect the buffer medium, the participation of singly charged ions is necessary: ammonium (NH4 +); sodium(Na+); potassium (K+). Cations are not mutually substituted, there are special mechanisms that maintain the necessary balance between them.
Inorganic Compounds:
Ammonium salts;
Carbonates;
sulfates;
Phosphates.
non-metals:
1. Chlorine (basic). In the form of anions, it participates in the creation of a salt environment, sometimes it is part of some organic substances.
2. Iodine and its compounds take part in some vital processes of organic compounds (living organisms). Iodine is part of the thyroid hormones (thyroxine).
3. Derivatives of selenium. Selenocysteine is part of some enzymes.
4. Silicon - is part of the cartilage and ligaments, in the form of esters of orthosilicic acid, takes part in the cross-linking of polysaccharide chains.
Many compounds in living organisms are complexes: heme is a complex of iron with a flat paraffin molecule; cobolamine.
Magnesium and calcium are the main metals, not counting iron, are ubiquitous in biosystems. The concentration of magnesium ions is essential for maintaining the integrity and functioning of ribosomes, that is, for protein synthesis.
Magnesium is also part of chlorophyll. Calcium ions are involved in cellular processes including muscle contractions. Undissolved salts - participate in the formation of supporting structures:
calcium phosphate (in bones);
Carbonate (in mollusk shells).
Metal ions of the 4th period are part of a number of vital compounds - enzymes. Some proteins contain iron in the form of iron-sulfur clusters. Zinc ions are contained in a significant number of enzymes. Manganese is part of a small number of enzymes, but plays an important role in the biosphere, in the photochemical reduction of water, ensures the release of oxygen into the atmosphere and the supply of electrons to the transfer chain during photosynthesis.
Cobalt - is part of the enzymes in the form of - cobalamins (vitamin B 12).
Molybdenum - a necessary component of the enzyme - nitrodinase (which catalyzes the reduction of atmospheric nitrogen to ammonia, in nitrogen-fixing bacteria)
Big number organic matter is a part of living organisms: acetic acid; acetaldehyde; ethanol (is the products and substrates of biochemical transformations).
The main groups of low molecular weight compounds of living organisms:
Amino acids are the building blocks of proteins
Nucleamides are part of nucleic acids.
Mono and aligosaccharides - components of structural tissues
Lipids are constituents of cell walls.
In addition to the previous ones, there are:
Enzyme cofactors are necessary components of a significant number of enzymes that catalyze redox reactions.
Coenzymes are organic compounds that function in certain systems of enzymatic reactions. For example: nicotinoamidodanine dinucleatide (NAD+). In the oxidized form, it is an oxidizer of alcohol groups to carbonyl groups, and a reducing agent is formed.
Enzyme cofactors are complex organic molecules synthesized from complex precursors that must be present as essential components of food.
Higher animals are characterized by the formation and functioning of substances that control the nervous and endocrine systems - hormones and neuromeditators. For example, the adrenal hormone triggers the oxidative processing of glycogen in the processes of a stressful situation.
Many plants synthesize a complex amine with a strong biological effect - alkaloids.
Terpenes are compounds of plant origin, components of essential oils and resins.
Antibiotics are substances of microbiological origin secreted by special types of microorganisms that inhibit the growth of other competing microorganisms. Their mechanism of action is diverse, such as slowing down the growth of proteins in bacteria.
