{"id":4286,"date":"2019-06-17T17:42:46","date_gmt":"2019-06-17T17:42:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/acchumanbio\/chapter\/2-1-case-study-why-should-you-study-human-biology-3\/"},"modified":"2023-11-30T17:47:04","modified_gmt":"2023-11-30T17:47:04","slug":"2-1-case-study-why-should-you-study-human-biology-3","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.ccconline.org\/acchumanbio\/chapter\/2-1-case-study-why-should-you-study-human-biology-3\/","title":{"raw":"2.1\u00a0Case Study: Why Should You Study Human Biology?","rendered":"2.1\u00a0Case Study: Why Should You Study Human Biology?"},"content":{"raw":"

Case Study: Our Invisible Inhabitants<\/h1>\r\n[caption id=\"attachment_104\" align=\"alignleft\" width=\"200\"]\"\" Figure 2.1.1 Lanying has the flu. Can she stop taking her antibiotics once she starts feeling better?<\/em>[\/caption]\r\n\r\nLanying is suffering from a fever, body aches, and a painful sore throat\u00a0that\u00a0feels\u00a0worse when she swallows. She visits her doctor, who examines her and performs a throat culture. When the results come back, he tells her that she has strep throat, which is caused by the bacteria\u00a0Streptococcus\u00a0pyogenes<\/a>. He prescribes an antibiotic\u00a0that will either\u00a0kill the bacteria or\u00a0stop it\u00a0from reproducing, and advises her to take the full course of the treatment even if she is feeling better earlier. Stopping early can cause an increase in bacteria that are resistant to antibiotics.\r\n
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<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\nLanying takes the antibiotic as prescribed. Toward the end of the course, her throat is feeling much better \u2014 but she can\u2019t say the same for other parts of her body! She has developed diarrhea and an itchy vaginal yeast infection. She calls her doctor, who suspects that the antibiotic treatment has caused\u00a0both the\u00a0digestive distress and\u00a0the\u00a0yeast infection. He explains that our bodies are home to many different kinds of microorganisms, some of which are actually\u00a0beneficial\u00a0to us because they help us digest our food\u00a0and\u00a0minimize\u00a0the population of harmful microorganisms. When we take an antibiotic, many of these \u201cgood\u201d bacteria are killed along with the \u201cbad,\u201d disease-causing bacteria, which can result in diarrhea and yeast infections.\r\n\r\nLanying's doctor\u00a0prescribes an antifungal medication for\u00a0her\u00a0yeast infection. He also recommends that she eat yogurt with live cultures, which will help replace the beneficial bacteria in her gut. Our bodies contain a delicate balance of inhabitants that are invisible without a microscope, and changes in that balance can cause unpleasant health effects.\r\n
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What Is Human Biology?<\/h1>\r\n<\/div>\r\nAs you read the rest of this book, you'll learn more amazing facts about the human organism,\u00a0and you'll get a better sense of\u00a0how biology relates to your health.\u00a0Human biology\u00a0is the scientific study of the human species, which includes the fascinating story of human evolution and a detailed account of our genetics, anatomy, physiology, and ecology. In short,\u00a0the study\u00a0focuses on how we got here, how we function, and the role we play in the natural world. This helps us to better understand human health, because we can learn how to stay healthy and how diseases and injuries can be treated.\u00a0Human biology\u00a0should be\u00a0of personal interest to you\u00a0to the extent that it can benefit\u00a0your own health, as well as the health of your friends and family. This branch of science also has broader implications for society and the human species as a whole.<\/span>\r\n
\u00a0As you continue reading, think about what you want to learn about your own body. What questions or concerns do you have? Make a list of them and use it to guide your study of human biology. You can revisit the list throughout the course to see if your questions have been answered. If not, you'll have the tools you need to find the answers. You will have learned how to find sources of information about human biology, and you'll be able to judge which sources are most reliable.<\/div>\r\n \r\n
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Chapter Overview: Living Organisms and Human Biology<\/span><\/h1>\r\n<\/header>\r\n
\r\n\r\nIn the rest of this chapter, you'll learn about the traits shared by all living things, the basic principles that underlie all of biology, the vast diversity of living organisms, what it means to be human, and our place in the animal kingdom. Specifically, you'll learn:\r\n