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9.4 Search for better health: 1. What is a
healthy organism?
| Syllabus reference (October 2002 version) | ||
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1. What is a healthy organism? |
Students learn to: |
Students: |
Extract from Biology Stage 6 Syllabus (Amended October 2002) © Board of Studies, NSW
Edited [4 Jun 09]
Prior learning: Recall statements in
Preliminary course: module 8.3 (subsections 3 and 7).
HSC module 9.3 (subsections 3, 4 and 5).
Science Stages 4–5 syllabus: Outcomes 4.8 (content 4.8.3
a and b), Outcome 5.8 (content 5.8.1 a, b and c; 5.8.2 d and e;
5.8.4 b).
Background: Disease is any condition
that adversely affects the function of any part of a living
thing. Health is the wellbeing of the organism. All
our body functions, which are under the control of our genes,
work together to maintain health.
discuss the
difficulties of defining the terms 'health' and
'disease'
- The definition of disease above is very broad. Disease can cover a wide range of conditions that fit the above definition including minor conditions, such as a cut finger or an ant bite, as well as the more obvious diseases.
- Health varies on a daily basis and is not just the absence of disease. Health varies with age and the susceptibility to disease. It is a state of physical, mental and social wellbeing.
- The difficulties of defining the terms health
and disease include that:
- it is possible for a person to be healthy and have a disease at the same time
- the terms are used in general conversation and have different meaning to the scientific definition.
use available evidence to analyse the links between gene expression and maintenance and repair of body tissue
- From HSC module 9.2, Maintaining a balance,
recall the mechanism by which the information carried by
genes controls the structure of proteins.
Protein synthesis
and
Steps leading from gene to protein
from the US National Health Museum's site,
Health and bioscience teachers and
learners. -
Gene expression refers to the transfer of information from a gene to produce a protein or RNA. If you cut yourself, the genetic code contained in all your cells is used to form the new tissue to repair the damage from the cut.
-
Analyse the information by identifying
cause and effect relationships between gene expression and
the maintenance and repair of body tissue.
Consider, that if a certain gene expresses, what the effect will be on:
- regulation of the cell cycle
- mitosis
- protein synthesis.
- Use the information you have gathered to synthesise an account of the connection between gene expression and the maintenance of healthy tissue.
outline how
the function of genes, mitosis, cell differentiation and
specialisation assist in the maintenance of health
Gene expression is essential for the maintenance of health.
- Genes are the units of inheritance. They control the process of protein synthesis. They assist the maintenance of health by regulating the cell cycle and limiting the growth and reproduction of cells. Genes provide the code for proteins that are needed for growth and repair. Enzymes, which control all body processes, are proteins and thus have been produced from the codes of genes.
- Mitosis is cell division that produces identical cells. These cells are important for growth and reproduction. Each day millions of cells die and are replaced by the process of mitosis.
- Cell differentiation is the process undergone by the cells that are formed after mitosis. Each cell has the genetic information necessary to produce all types of cells. However, each cell normally differentiates to become a specialised cell, with a specialised structure and function. Undifferentiated cells form tumours.
- Many types of cells have specialised roles in maintaining the health of an organism. For example, there are specialised blood cells that produce antibodies to attack a disease causing micro-organism.
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