Human welfare

The scientific study of biological phenomena and humans ultimately aims at human welfare. If that’s the case, biology is no longer just a branch of science that deals with the morphology and anatomy of an organism, moreover, it also develops, creates, and designs new domains. Thereby, it brings elemental changes in the life of humans and human welfare. The application of the term biology and human welfare starts from the very beginning of human civilization. With continuous socio-cultural changes in the process of food making, agriculture, it became inevitable that concepts of biology were interlinked with various aspects in human welfare. 

Opening to Biology and Human Welfare

Various fields of biology are correlated with human welfare. To explore the utility of biology and human welfare, it can be explained better with a simple example of the relation of biology and human welfare. From the beginning, humans domesticated livestock and cultivated plants for making dairy products, wool as clothes, brewing of alcohol from plants like grapes, and this list goes on. The Discovery of antibiotics and drugs with biology has brought great life expectancy to human life.

Biology and human welfare examples are as follows

1. Human Health and Disease
2. Strategies for Enhancement in Food Production
3. Microbes in Human Welfare

Notes on Human Health and Diseases

The health of humans was only limited to humor. However, With the development in science and discoveries like blood circulation has taken the subject of health beyond the horizon of physical fitness. 

Later, the discovery of the immune system, the endocrine system depicted that the health of an individual is affected by mental disturbance too. Therefore, human health is affected by three components. 

• Genetics disorder – mutation of genes or deficiencies or inherited gene defects from parents. 
• Diseases and infections
• The lifestyle of an individual. 

The frequently used term is health doesn’t mean the absence of disease or body fitness. The health of an individual is attained with the physical, mental, biological, and social well-being.

Common Diseases In Humans

Organisms such as bacteria, viruses, or any other disease-causing ones are called Pathogens. 

Example, 

• Salmonella typhi, a pathogenic bacteria responsible for typhoid in humans, enters the body through contaminated water and food. The diagnosis of typhoid is done with the Widal test. 
• Streptococcus pneumonia, a pathogenic bacteria, causes pneumonia, which affects the alveoli of the lungs. 
• Not only bacteria but also viruses like Rhinoviruses cause the common cold. 
• Protozoa like Plasmodium causes Malaria, Entamoeba histolytica causes amoebiasis (amoebic dysentery), Wuchereria, a filarial worm causes ascariasis. 

Immunity

To face biological threats, the body can fight against the host which is known as immunity. The two types of immunity are 

• Innate immunity – nonspecific in defense present from birth acts as a barrier from foreign agents.
• Acquired immunity – pathogen-specific, meaning when the body encounters this host for the first time, the memory is stored in the immune system. 

However, due to genetic disorders or unknown reasons, the body attacks the self-cells known as Autoimmunity. 

Techniques For Enhancement In Food Production

Important Notes

With the continuous increase of population, increasing the number of livestock and plants is necessary to prevent food scarcity. 

Animal Husbandry 

The practice of breeding livestock and developing plants. It includes animals like goats, buffalo, camels, sheep, cows, and pigs for useful purposes. 

The extended one includes poultry, fisheries. Fish culture deals with breeding, rearing, and selling fish, it includes crustaceans, molluscs. 

Since human civilisation developed animals like silkworms, goats, bees, and prawns are used by humans for wax, dairy products, honey, wool, etc. 

Plant breeding

Plant breeding is a manipulation of plant varieties to get the desired plant variety, which gives a high yield, also pest and disease resistance. It includes steps like 

• Variability collection – a collection of different wild plant varieties, species and preventing them from exploitation. 
• Parent selection – plants with desired characters are selected and a pure line is created. 
• Hybridization – Crossing of two different selected parent plants. For example, a high protein yielding plant is crossed with a disease-resistant plant. 
• Test of recombinant – Selection and testing of progeny hybrid which has desired characters. 
• Commercialization – testing its quality and releasing it to fields. 

Single Cell Protein (SCP)

The additional nutrient source for humans and animals is single-cell protein. Blue-green algae like Spirulina is rich in protein which is grown easily. Methylophilus methylotrophus, a bacteria, produces 25 tons of protein. 

Microbes And Human Welfare

Role Of Microbes In Household Products

Microbes are used in everyday life. For example, Lactobacillus, also known as lactic acid bacteria (LAB) converts milk into curd. Beneficial bacteria are used in the fermentation of dosa and idli. Saccharomyces cerevisiae (baker’s yeast) for bread fermentation. Propionibacterium shermanii produces a large amount of CO2 responsible for the large hole in Swiss cheese. 

Role Of Microbes In Industrial Products

Antibiotics and beverages are produced on an industrial scale in large vessels called fermentors with microbes. Antibiotics are produced by microbes, which act against a deadly disease. Alexander Flemming discovered the first antibiotic. Beverages such as alcohol are fermented using microbes. Enzymes are acids produced by microbes. Aspergillus niger gives citric acid, Lactobacillus gives lactic acid. 

Sewage Treatment And Microbes

Before disposal of sewage water into water bodies, it’s treated in sewage treatment plants using heterotrophic microbes to reduce its toxicity. It’s done in two steps

• Primary treatment – removal of small particles using filtration and sedimentation. 
• Secondary treatment – microbes consume a large amount of organic matter and filtrate it. 

Microbes In Production Of Biogas Notes

Microbes produce biogas. Biogas is a blend of methane and supplementary gases. Bacteria, Methanobacterium, that grows anaerobically produce large amounts of methane, used for fuel. Such a type of bacteria is named methanogens. The cellulose in the good of cattle is broken down by bacteria. The excreta is called gobar and contains many bacteria and has multiple uses such as in construction and fertilization.

Conclusion

The study of biology in terms of human welfare is important to society because it helps scientists understand the similarities among lives. Biology has been playing an important role in the health of humans such as single-cell protein which helps even space astronauts to maintain a balanced diet. Biology helps in analyzing the better measures for food yield. It helps scientists understand the disease’s diagnosis, treatment, and prevention. From this article, it is clearly understood that Biology has been playing a vital role in human welfare since the beginning of human civilisation.