As a field of science, biology helps us understand the living world and the ways its many species (including humans) function, evolve and interact. Advances in medicine, agriculture, biotechnology, and many other areas of biology have brought improvements in the quality of life.

Biology and Human Welfare

The well-being of individuals is at the heart of subjective ethics. Simply put, it means that the ultimate goal of scientific and technological advancements is to improve the well-being of humans. Following this point of view, biology in its own right is a branch of science that not only studies the structure and function of living things but also strives to improve them by innovating and carving out new niches to bring about fundamental changes in the welfare of humans. From the beginning of human civilization, biology and human well-being were intertwined. The domestication of plants and animals, the production of cheese and curd, the brewing of alcohol, and the list goes on and on can be endlessly extended to illustrate biology and human welfare. Socio-cultural changes have occurred in human communities as a result of agricultural practices, food processing, and diagnostics advances. Because of this, it is critical for us to understand the fundamentals of biology and human welfare, as well as to consider the implications of future developments. Please allow yourself to be introduced to the fascinating chapter on biology and human welfare, in which you will learn about the various aspects of biology that apply to human welfare in various situations.

Reproduction

The act of producing offspring is referred to as reproduction. There are two main types of reproduction: sexual reproduction and asexual reproduction. When an organism reproduces sexually, it combines the genetic information from each of its parents to form a new organism that is genetically distinct. The process of asexual reproduction involves one parent reproducing itself to produce a genetically identical child. For example, sea turtles reproduce sexually, whereas a volvox (green algae) reproduces asexually, and a brittle star can reproduce either way. Sea turtles are also examples of animals that reproduce sexually.

Ecology and Environment

In ecology, the term “environment” refers to all of the factors that influence and affect the development and long-term viability of all organisms that exist on the planet. It lives and operates in the immediate environment of living organisms in which it is surrounded by them.

Ecology is the study of the interactions of organisms with their physical and biotic environments, as well as their interactions with one another.

Organisms and their surrounding environment are intertwined and dependent on one another. Living organisms are affected by changes in their environment, and the environment is affected by changes in living organisms.

An ecosystem is a structural and functional unit of ecology that has both structural and functional characteristics. It is a community of living organisms and abiotic components that interact with one another through the exchange of energy and the cycling of nutrients.

Biotechnology and its Application

As defined by the National Institutes of Health, biotechnology is a broad field of biology that employs both the technology and the application of living organisms and their components to develop, modify, and produce a useful product for human welfare. Karoly Ereky, an agricultural engineer, is credited with coining the term “biotechnology” in 1919, earning him the title “Father of Biotechnology.”

The most important applications of biotechnology are:-

When it comes to modifying and producing a useful product for human benefit, biotechnology is widely used in a variety of fields. The following are examples of such applications:

1. Aspects of biotechnology that are relevant to agriculture

Green Biotechnology, also known as the Green Revolution, is the application of biotechnology in the field of agricultural production. Biotechnology has made significant contributions to the field of agriculture, some of which are as follows:

1. Organic agriculture

Agriculture that is based on agrochemicals

Crop-based agriculture is based on genetically modified organisms.

The application of biotechnology has resulted in a threefold increase in yield and food supply. Pest-resistant plants and genetically modified crops are being introduced in addition to traditional crop production to increase food production and feed the world’s rapidly expanding population.

1. Genetically modified crops have had their genes altered by introducing genes that have the desired characteristics into their genomes. Genetically modified crops include Bt cotton, Bt brinjal, and golden rice, to name a few examples.

1. Biotechnology has a variety of applications in medicine.

It has contributed to advancements in the field of healthcare by enabling the mass production of therapeutic drugs that are both safer and more effective than previously available options. The majority of the drugs are created through the process of genetic engineering. It is possible to produce Humulin, the genetically modified insulin that is used to treat diabetes, through genetic engineering.

1. Gene therapy, which has been developed through biotechnology, aids in the removal of genetic disorders from the embryonic stage. Other biotechnology-related applications in the fields of medicine and molecular diagnosis include the following: 
2. Animals Transgenic for ELISA and PCR:- Transgenic animals are those animals in which a new or altered gene has been experimentally inserted into the genome using a genetic engineering technique, and the results have been observed. Rats, rabbits, pigs, sheep, cows, and fish, to name a few examples of transgenic animals, are also available. The mouse is the only transgenic animal currently in existence among all other transgenic animals.
3. Antibiotics are manufactured in large quantities. Plants are used in the production of vaccines, antibiotics, and artificial hormones, which are made possible by biotechnology. It is necessary to introduce genes with desired characteristics into the plants for them to manufacture the encoded proteins. Edible vaccines are cost-effective, easy to store, and can be administered directly into the body without the use of needles. These are used to treat diseases such as measles, hepatitis, cholera, and other contagious diseases.

Genetics

It is a sub-discipline of biology that is concerned with the research of heredity and its biological processes, the investigation of genes, the study of the genome, the cell cycle, the study of heredity, and the inheritance of genes, and many other topics.

Genetics is the study of the working and major codes of variation and heredity, as well as their interactions. The term “inheritance” refers to the foundation upon which heredity is built. As described by the dictionary, it is the process by which qualities are passed down from one generation to the next. He is renowned as “the Father of Modern Genetics” for his discoveries into the fundamental laws of heredity that he made throughout his lifetime.

Cytokinins in humans

In plants, cytokinins (CKs) are a diverse class of regulatory molecules that are obtained both from adenine and non-adenine sources and are involved in nearly every aspect of plant biology. The CK signal is recognised by histidine kinases that are found in the membrane of the cell and conveyed by a two-component system (TCS) that is unique to plants and is found only in higher eukaryotes. Numerous plant-interacting microorganisms, including pathogenic and non-pathogenic bacteria, fungi, nematodes, and animal pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis, have been demonstrated to produce CK.

Cretinism

Cretinism is a disorder that develops as a result of hypothyroidism. Cretinism is primarily caused by a lack of iodine in the mother’s diet during pregnancy. Mental impairment and stunted growth are common outcomes of hypothyroidism in the developing foetus, as well as in the mother. “Cretinism is defined as congenital hypothyroidism or underactive of the thyroid glands that manifests itself during early childhood and results in stunted growth and mental retardation.” It is believed that the term “cretin” came from the French word chrétien, which translates as “Christian” or “Christ-like” because the ill were mentally handicapped and unable to commit sins. It is an iodine deficiency condition associated with insufficient thyroid hormone activity that manifests itself during the prenatal, infant, or childhood stages of development.

Conclusion 

Therefore it can be concluded that biology gives insights into how diverse life forms are. Moreover, biology encompasses other fields of research that are related to the sustainability of life, including the environment, ecosystem, food quality, causes of illnesses, the development of medicines, and the study of the human body, to name a few.