A&P - 1.4 Requirements for Human Life

requirements for human life

• oxygen

• nutrients

• narrow range of temperature

• narrow range of atmospheric pressure

oxgen

• our primary atmospheric gas essential for human survival

• brain cells require lots of energy and therefor require lots of oxygen to perform

• without oxygen brain damage can occur within 5 minutes and death will follow within 10 minutes of oxygen deprivation

nutrients

• essential nutrients for humans consist of:

  • organic compounds (carbohydrates, lipids, proteins, nucleotides, vitamins)

  • inorganic compounds (water and minerals)

• nutrients the human body needs a large supply of are called macronutrients, in contrast to micronutrients that the body needs very small amounts of

narrow range of temperature

• hyperthermia - if body is overheated for prolonged period of time it can lead to heat stroke and death

  • sweating helps cool the body down using evaporation

• hypothermia - if the body is to cold it can lead to shock and death

  • shivering helps generate heat within the body

narrow range of atmospheric pressure

pressure - the force exerted by a substance in contact with another substance

• we can withstand a certain range in pressures exerted on the human body via the gasses in the atmosphere or the diving in the ocean