The Human Perceptions Of Biological Systems

The goal of every zoo, aquarium, reserve, and marine park is to bring awareness of the need that the wildlife is in need of saving. Most extinctions are caused by humans. With our ever-growing need to explore the planet, we have taken control of numerous species’ habitats and thus they die off due to the fact that they have nowhere to go and are unable to adapt to new environments. Wars we have waged have also destroyed habitats, not to mention the hunting and poaching that occurs for furs, tusks, and other animal parts that can potentially be bought for a lot of money. Humans have been killing off animals since the day we were put here on Earth. At every zoo or animal park, you will hear the staff talking about conservation of wildlife numerous times because that is their overall message they are trying to reach people. They are trying to educate everyone so they can save these animals. For example, at SeaWorld, before watching the whale show, they give a presentation about how whales need to be preserved, saying that we should save the oceans so that the orca species can live on for many years to come. But what do whales jumping out of a pool have to do with saving the oceans?

The ocean is two-thirds of our planet a vast blue landscape home to many biomes which according to Boyce Thorne-Miller “(ecosystem types) corresponding to sets of environmental conditions that vary with depth, latitude, and longitude” (16). However, the ocean and its biomes is under attack from the changing environment. We can see this through coral reef biomes as they make their home near the shores. Through coral reefs we can view the effects that these changes have on the ocean through how the coral reef biome is affected. Humans are a danger to the coral reefs and the wildlife that resides in the biome. The pollution being released into the environment is poisoning the coral and causes death and malformation to the wildlife. The ocean is changing due to global warming which is causing a change in the temperature and rising water levels leading to a change in the stabile areas coral can survive. The increasing acidification of the ocean is causing the coral reefs to die. I will be looking at the effects these issues cause to coral reefs biomes and the ocean to see the similarities in how they affect both.

The main assumption of the biological approach is behaviour and experiences can be explained by biological changes in the body. This approach focusses on the investigation of the brain, nervous system and other biological factors such as hormones; whereas the main assumption of the cognitive approach is that information received from our senses is processed by the brain and that this processing influences how we behave or at least justifies how we behave the way we do. Cognitive processes are examples of hypothetical constructs – researchers cannot directly observe processes such as thinking but we can infer what a person is thinking based on how they act (behavioural patterns). Some key researchers in the biological approach are Maguire et. Al (2000) - Navigation-related structural changes in the hippocampi of taxi drivers, and Sperry (1968) - Hemisphere disconnection and unity in consciousness. Some key researchers in the cognitive approach are Loftus and Palmer (1974) - eyewitness testimony and Baron-Cohen (1997) – Autism.

In 2009, Dr. Sylvia Earle wrote The World is Blue to educate and alert the reader about human impacts on marine ecosystems. Through this book she conveys her passion and methodical arguments concerning the importance of the conservation of the ocean, which encompasses approximately 80 percent of the earth’s surface. Dr. Earle states “the ocean touches you with every breath you take, every drop of water you drink, every bite you consume” (17). This statement emphasizes the significance of the ocean, not only for marine life, but all life forms on earth. The book implies that currently in today’s world, the conservation of the ocean requires a global effort to reduce human damage from the past generations. Using facts gleaned from credible scientific resources, she defines the problems of overfishing, bycatch, and pollution. By analyzing human impacts on marine ecosystems, Dr. Earle determines successful and unsuccessful solutions to these problems and suggests various ways individuals can change their lifestyles to reduce impact on the environment as a whole.

The Holocene is long gone and the Anthropocene, an epoch marked by human progress and environmental decay, has begun. Pronounced human activity has led to rising carbon dioxide, nitrogen, and methane concentrations that disproportionately affect terrestrial and marine life (Kolbert 108). We have outcompeted marine predators with our fisheries and led many to extinction with our fertilization practices. Horrified, the Conservation Movement has attempted to influence the way Americans act towards nature, but its mission; to “preserve and protect America’s wildlife” remains an idea that the average citizen is a stranger to. In view of a possible “Sixth Extinction,” it is imperative that biodiversity is preserved by incorporating rewilding techniques

In her 2009 Ted Talk, Sylvia Earle spoke about ocean preservation and why preservation was and still is important. In the beginning of her speech Earle states current problems pressing our oceans, including that we’ve taken and eaten about 90% of the oceans big fish, the problem of oxygen depletion in the ocean, and the problem of coral reef destruction, which also affects her personally as a marine biologist. Earle then cracks a few jokes, then alludes to her start in marine biology, through scuba diving. She then goes on to talk about her personal experience, including aquanaut adventures, spending a week underwater, and touching the ocean floor in a one person submarine swim suit like suit named Jim, and the dawn of her non-for profit foundation called “Deep Search”, used for deep sea search using submarines with a simple control system and much more.

In the early 2000s, the ‘Anthropocene’ emerged as a widespread term to represent the current era of Earth’s history. According to Paul J. Crutzen and Eugene F. Stoermer, the ‘Anthopocene’ represents a “geologic epoch” characterized by human activities that profoundly transform the environment, threaten ecosystems, and cause unparalleled disruptions on earth’s natural processes. (Ogden et al. 2013: 341) Unfortunately, humanity in the period of the ‘Anthropocene’ has contributed to a range of environmental problems, including pollution and mass extinctions. (Ogden et al. 2013: 341) One ancient species considerably at risk in the ‘Anthropocene’ is the Great White Shark. Despite its precarious position and its imminent eradication, the Great White Shark must be respected and understood. In an attempt to reveal the intrinsic value of the oceans’ most important predator, humans must shed conceptions of Great White Sharks as mindless man-eating monsters and instead conceive of them in a new light. Ultimately, a thorough exploration reveals Great Whites inherent value independent of their worth to humans. Furthermore, it serves as an important framework for thinking about the harmful consequences human practices have the environment. Ultimately, this examination changes humankinds attitudes towards the Great White and dispels popular myths to reveal that all species are fundamentally related and share a common destiny.

95% of the ocean has not been explored. With all the species and environments within the ocean that we have discovered, it is mind blowing to think that we have only seen 5% of what the ocean has to offer. The World is Blue: How Our Fate and the Ocean’s are One explores our long standing relationship with the ocean. This book is penned by oceanographer, explorer, and lecturer, Sylvia Earle. She earned her B.S degree from Florida State University, M.S and PhD from Duke University, and has accumulated 22 honorary degrees. She has worked as a director for multiple corporate and nonprofit organizations and as chief scientist for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [1]. Earle’s research concerns marine ecosystems with an emphasis on conservation, which is the focal point of her novel. It is woven with stories compiled from decades of work and exploration, and with facts and arguments concerning our changing ocean. Sylvia’s novel is about the relationship between humans and the ocean, whether it be through the extinction of species, climate change, or even exploration and aquaculture, we ultimately affect the ocean and it affects us.

The Biological Perspective: This is the study of exactly how the physical events within the physical body interact with the events in the external environment. This is expressed by our perceptions, memories, behaviors and interactions with everything around us. We can think about our heredity and genetic makeup and the influences that has on each one of us as an individual. Then think about the stress of poor health and illness and how we may express our emotions with those around us. Since we are diverse as individuals we rely on our physiological make up and the stimuli of our environment to adapt to each situation. This human biology helps us to constantly adapt and survive in an ever-changing world.

They say only a few will ever speak loud enough to be heard over the other seven billion voices on the planet. Today someone is shouting. Screaming off of the pages of “The World is Blue” is Sylvia Earle, National Geographic Society’s Explorer in Residence, and vast contributor to the effort to preserve the planet’s oceans. Earle’s book is not an inconvenient truth, fueled by politics and funding, but rather, by Earle’s heart for the ocean, and

In biology, there are four big main ideas that are discussed in the subject matter. Evolution, free energy, information, and systems are the main topics taught in biology. Evolution is the adaptation of all living things that all point to the same ancestor. Many things that affect evolution such as small sample size, non-random mating, mutation, immigration or emigration, and natural selection. A species niche is one of concepts in biology that can easily explain evolution.

“Over-fished and Under-protected: Ocean Life on the Brink of Catastrophic Collapse” Tom Levitt, for CNN

Rob Sherlock writes about conservation of species, the rate of destruction of our planet, and global warming in an encyclopedia entitled Grzimek’s Animal Life Encyclopedia. In the article, he shows a slight bias in his presentation of information to favoring conservation. This is a constant argument between scientists and politicians. This article, titled “Conservation”, is divided into eight subcategories. These categories are Need for Conservation, Rate of Extinction, Conservation Biology, Need for Biodiversity, Risk Assessment, Habitat Conservation, Marine Conservation and Shifting Baselines, and Global Warming. Simply looking at the subheadings, it is easily shown what the author is choosing to focus his work on, conservation. The article

The Oceanographer Jacques Cousteau once said, “The sea, the great unifier, is man 's only hope. Now, as never before, the old phrase has a literal meaning: we are all in the same boat."The ocean is an essential part of God’s creation. The oceans are being mistreated and this environment is being destroyed through human activities. Yet, there have been several signs of hope seen in this world to improve conditions in oceans. Organizations including Mission Blue and National Marine Sanctuaries are striving to improve circumstances in our bounteous oceans that are threatened by human activities.

Our environment is full of a variety of infectious microorganisms that cause disease known as microbes. Bacteria, viruses, protozoa, multicellular parasites and fungi qualify as microbes which cause disease, and if left to multiply unchecked, will eventually kill their host. Most infections in normal, healthy individuals are shot-lived leaving little or no damage which is due to the immune system which combats infectious agents. The immune system is a complex system of organs and processes of the body that provide resistance to infection and has a primary purpose of identifying foreign substances known as antigens. Antigens stimulate immune responses through the production of antibodies and the immune system provides protection from infectious diseases by noting them as foreign, killer microbes and supplying these antibodies.[1] Microorganisms come in many different forms and because of this, a variety of immune responses are required to fight against each type of infection. Sometimes the body’s natural form of defence is not enough to counteract the effect of pathogens, and vaccinations are required. Vaccines work by working with the body’s natural defence system to reduce the risk of infections largely and develop immunity; [2] however, despite the science emerging to protect humans from potentially deadly