Human biology
The human biology is a scientific discipline that is
- in the narrow sense of the biology of the human and the biological basis of human medicine and
- in a broader sense deals with the sub-areas of biology that are also relevant for humans.
The term “ biomedicine ” is sometimes used synonymously , which in the actual sense of the word, however, only includes the medically relevant areas of human biology, ie is only a sub-area thereof.
Human biology is counted among the human as well as neurosciences .
Human biology emerged from the scientific sub-disciplines of anthropology (cf. ibid., Scientific Approach ) and has only recently established itself as an independent subject . As a special interdisciplinary science, it stands between medicine and pharmacy as well as biology and anthropology and is currently primarily a teaching and study subject for scientific training at universities . This means that the content of human biology and its delimitation from other subjects are primarily defined by the curricula of corresponding independent courses - in contrast to the much older and historically grown classical natural sciences such as physics , chemistry and biology .
Research subject
Human biology
Human biology tries to understand and research humans as living beings on a scientific level. It uses various scientific methods , such as experiments and observations , to describe the biochemical and biophysical foundations of human life in detail and to be able to formulate the underlying processes using models . As a basic science, it thus provides the knowledge base for medicine. The flow of information between the disciplines is by no means one-sided, since the knowledge of medicine about pathological phenomena helps human biologists to understand human physiology. A number of sub-disciplines have emerged due to the historically grown observation levels. The most important of these are:
- anatomy
The anatomy (including cytology , histology and morphology ) is the study of the form and structure of the human body , its organ systems , organs and tissues . Above all, it is a descriptive discipline and one of the oldest scientific disciplines dealing with human biology.
- physiology
The Physiology explores and describes the function of the human body and its organs, in particular from physical and chemical point of view. One of the most important concerns of physiology is to understand the exchange of information between different organs and their mutual control.
- Human genetics
The Human Genetics focuses on the genetic basis of human life. She studies the inheritance of phenotypic traits and the influence of genes on a person's appearance, characteristics and abilities .
- immunology
The Immunology is the study of the physical defense against pathogens ( bacteria , viruses , fungi ) and other foreign substances (such as toxins , environmental pollutants ), as well as faults and malfunctions of these defense mechanisms. These malfunctions include, for example, excessive immune reactions (see also: allergies ), immune reactions against the body's own components (see also: autoimmune diseases ) and the lack or failure of an appropriate immune response (see also: SCID , AIDS , sepsis ).
- Biochemistry and molecular biology
The closely linked disciplines of biochemistry and molecular biology examine the chemical and molecular basis of the life processes of the human body. Important goals are, for example, the investigation of chemical reactions within cells and the relationships between these reactions as well as the elucidation of the structure and function of biomolecules such as proteins , carbohydrates , lipids and nucleic acids .
Biological foundations of medicine
The disciplines of human biology above provide a comprehensive understanding of human life from a scientific point of view and thus the basis for a scientific sound diagnosis , therapy and prevention of diseases of humans . The aim is to scientifically research and understand the causes of diseases in order to be able to treat diseases causally , i.e., to be able to effectively prevent them. This area of human biology is often referred to as biomedicine . Important sub-disciplines, building on those already mentioned, are:
- pathology
The pathology describes sickness and disease-causing anatomical and morphological changes in the human body and its organs, in particular at the cellular level. It is especially important for diagnosing diseases. Its basis is anatomy. One of the most important tools in pathology is microscopy .
- Pathophysiology
The pathophysiology explored sickness and disease-causing disturbances in the function of the human body while delivering both insight into the causes of diseases and for the diagnosis. It is based on the knowledge of physiology.
- Pharmacology and toxicology
The pharmacology and toxicology study the effect of drugs or toxins to humans. They research how a drug or a toxin behaves in the body from its absorption to its excretion (see also: LADME ), how the body affects the substance (see also: pharmacokinetics ) and where in the body the substance causes which effects (see also: pharmacodynamics ). Pharmacology is therefore of great importance for the therapy of diseases.
- Medical genetics
Medical genetics deals with the influence of genes and their inheritance on human health. She tries to find disease-causing genetic defects and inheritance errors. Medical genetics thus also contributes to the understanding of the cause of diseases, but above all provides knowledge for diagnostics (clinical genetics).
- Pathobiochemistry
The Pathobiochemistry examined, based on the findings of biochemistry and molecular biology, disease-related and disease-causing changes in chemical and molecular level. It thus makes a decisive contribution to understanding the cause of diseases, but it also provides important findings for diagnostics.
- Epidemiology
The epidemiology deals with the frequency and the spatial and geographical and temporal distribution of diseases related to certain environmental conditions or factors such as age, sex, height, weight or heredity. For example, she works with human genetics, microbiology and human ecology and, with regard to its methods, with mathematics, statistics and biometrics. The main aim is to clarify the causes of diseases and their prophylaxis through predictive diagnostics (prediction) or risk assessment.
- Other medical specialties
related to human biology are for example
- the neurosciences
- the Forensic Medicine
- the Clinical Chemistry and Laboratory Medicine
Sub-areas of biology relevant to humans
About human biology in the strict sense of the word as the science of human life, those sub-areas of biology that are of essential importance for human life are added to this term in the broader sense . This applies to the following disciplines, among others:
- microbiology
The Microbiology as the science of life of microorganisms includes the subregions bacteriology , virology and mycology . It is of particular importance for human biology with regard to bacteria, viruses and fungi as pathogens (medical microbiology). In addition, so-called applied microbiology plays a major role in biotechnology, for example for the technical production of proteins for medical products (for example drugs such as insulin ) and industrial purposes (for example enzymes for detergents) using genetically modified microorganisms.
- biotechnology
The biotechnology than the translation of knowledge from biology into technical products and processes for the lives of people both directly and indirectly in many ways of great importance, from the development and production of drugs and diagnostics to the production of food to up environmentally relevant applications.
- Human ecology
The human ecology is the study of the relationships between the people (both as a single individual as well as population and as a biological species ) and its animate and inanimate natural environment . For example, important specialist areas for human ecology are ecotoxicology and hygiene .
- Further fields of biology
with relevance to human biology are among others
- the biophysics
- the Developmental Biology
- the bionics
Relations with other sciences
In addition to the previously mentioned subject areas within human biology, there are relationships with a number of other sciences in terms of content and methods. These include, for example, anthropology, other natural sciences, mathematics and computer science, and psychology.
anthropology
In addition to the scientific foundations of human life, anthropology as the science of human beings considers other levels for the scientific explanation of what human beings are. This includes humanities such as philosophy , theology and history as well as social science disciplines such as pedagogy , demography , ethnology or sociology . The biological approaches of anthropology are a branch of human biology under the name biological anthropology . Research subjects in this area are, for example, paleoanthropology and human evolution , the biological foundations of human reproduction , or human population genetics .
Natural sciences
- chemistry
Within chemistry , relationships with human biology exist primarily with organic chemistry , for example in researching the synthetic pathways of biomolecules and the chemical synthesis of pharmaceuticals, and with analytical chemistry , especially in the development of bioanalytical methods and the elucidation of the structure of biomolecules.
- physics
In addition to biophysics, which is classified as a sub-discipline of biology, there are overlaps between human biology and physics, for example in medical physics . This is particularly concerned with diagnostic and therapeutic radiology , various imaging processes ( e.g. sonography ), diagnostic methods in ophthalmic optics or the therapeutic use of UV or laser radiation (e.g. in dentistry ).
- More natural sciences
with content overlaps with human biology are for example
- the food chemistry
- the food science
Mathematics and computer science
The mathematics plays in biology, and hence of human biology, a major role in the formulation of mathematical models of biological processes. This sub-area of biology or human biology is also known as theoretical biology or biomathematics . Furthermore, mathematics is an important pillar of biometrics and biostatistics . Applications of computer science for the investigation of the informatics foundations of biological processes as well as for the storage, organization and analysis of biological data are as bioinformatics a branch of biology and thus also of human biology.
psychology
The psychology that is dedicated to the description, explanation and prediction of experience and behavior of the people who use for researching their issues among other things, methods and knowledge of human biology, especially neuroscience. This interdisciplinary approach is also known as psychobiology .
Historical development
Human biology emerged as an independent scientific discipline only recently, mainly in the second half of the 20th century. It developed from the scientifically oriented research within anthropology, which was mainly devoted to questions of human development through comparative biological studies. Biomedicine was also added. From the beginning of the 20th century, this increasingly used the knowledge and methods of modern disciplines of biology, initially mainly biochemistry and later molecular biology, for scientific research into the causes of diseases and ways of treating and curing them. From these two directions, human biology then increasingly became a separate interdisciplinary subject.
The Philipps University of Marburg played a pioneering role in establishing human biology as a teaching and study subject in German-speaking countries when it was the first university in Germany to set up a corresponding undergraduate course in 1979. In doing so, it implemented a recommendation made by the Science Council in 1966. In order to remedy the shortage of scientific staff in the basic subjects of medicine, such as anatomy, biochemistry and physiology, this had demanded the establishment of corresponding courses in the field of theoretical medicine. At the Philipps University of Marburg, this was initially implemented in the form of a three-year supplementary course for graduates in the natural sciences and other courses such as mathematics and computer science. This was followed by a course of study from 1974 to 1979, which was based on an intermediate diploma in a natural science subject and led to a degree with the title Dr. rer. physiol. led. However, this variant had to be abandoned for technical and legal reasons. Beginning with the winter semester 1979/1980, students were then enrolled for the diploma course in human biology. For the winter semester 2000/2001, this course was fundamentally reformed by new study regulations, especially with regard to the implementation of the main course.
The second course in human biology was launched in 1996 at the Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald . As a forerunner there was the biopharmacology course from 1988, which arose from the specialization "Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology" which had existed in Greifswald since 1971 and was discontinued with the establishment of the human biology subject. Corresponding transitional regulations for the students concerned, such as the problem-free voluntary re-enrollment in the new course with unrestricted recognition of course achievements, as well as the possibility of completing the course according to the old examination and study regulations, ensured a smooth transition. The content of the subject biopharmacology is one of several possible specializations in the human biology course today. The course in biopharmacology emerged from the specialization in "Experimental Pharmacology and Toxicology" within the pharmacy course that had existed at the Ernst-Moritz-Arndt University of Greifswald since the late 1970s. The Ernst Moritz Arndt University of Greifswald thus had similarly long experience and traditions in training in theoretical medicine as the Philipps University of Marburg when it set up the human biology course.
At the beginning of the 1990s, the Saarland University decided to abandon the classic diploma course in biology in its entirety in favor of a complete concentration and orientation on human and molecular biology. This happened in 1999 with the adoption of new study and examination regulations. A corresponding renaming of the program, however, did not take place, so that the graduates at the University of Saarland continue her studies as a biologist or graduate biologists conclude. The study of human biology as a self-chosen focus, i.e. major or minor, in a biology or biochemistry course is also possible at other universities.
With the introduction of the Molecular Medicine study program at the University of Erlangen-Nuremberg in 1999, there has been a sharp increase in the number of corresponding study programs at other universities, especially under the terms “Molecular Medicine” or “(Molecular) Biomedicine”. In particular, this year, for the first time, a corresponding range of courses has been offered at a university of applied sciences as well as in Austria, and since 2004 also in Switzerland. These new courses are increasingly based on the Bachelor / Master degrees instead of the previous diploma degree. In general, there is good permeability between these courses and with the previously existing courses in the mutual recognition of academic achievements when changing universities. This permeability is likely to increase further with the increasing spread of Bachelor and Master degrees and the introduction of the ECTS system . A switch to the new degrees can also be expected in the near future for the still existing diploma courses. The human biology course in Marburg, for example, has been running since the 2007/2008 winter semester under the name “Bachelor of Science in Human Biology (Biomedical Science)”. A corresponding Master’s course is planned for the 2010/2011 winter semester.
Study opportunities
The attractiveness of the fields of human biology and biomedicine as subjects of study has increased significantly in recent times. A number of universities have responded to this trend by setting up new courses. The number of study places is usually small compared to other subjects, so that the allocation takes place on the basis of a local selection process ( numerus clausus ), for which not only a very good Abitur but also selection interviews at the university are decisive. In addition to undergraduate courses and postgraduate or doctoral courses, biomedicine is also offered as a minor for courses such as industrial engineering or mechatronics.
| Course of study | exists since | graduation | University |
|---|---|---|---|
| Human Biology (Biomedical Science) | 1979 | Bachelor / Master | Marburg (U) |
| Human biology | 1996 | Bachelor / Master | Greifswald (U) |
| Biology (human and molecular biology) | 1999 | Bachelor | Saarland (U) |
| Molecular medicine | 1999 | Bachelor / Master | Erlangen-Nuremberg (U) |
| Applied Biology (B) + Biology with Biomedical Sciences (M) | 2000 | Bachelor / Master | Bonn-Rhein-Sieg (FH) |
| Molecular biology | 2000 | Magister rer. nat. | Vienna (U) |
| Biomedicine | 2001 | Bachelor / Master | Wuerzburg (U) |
| Molecular medicine | 2001 | Bachelor / Master | Freiburg im Breisgau (U) |
| Biomedicine and Biotechnology | 2002 | Bachelor / Master | Vienna (U) |
| Molecular Biology (B) + Biomedicine (M) | 2002 | Bachelor / Master | Mainz (U) |
| Molecular Biomedicine | 2003 | Bachelor / Master | Bonn (U) |
| Molecular medicine | 2003 | Bachelor / Master | Göttingen (U) |
| Molecular medicine | 2003 | Bachelor / Master | Ulm (U) |
| Molecular Biology (B), Molecular Biology with Bioinformatics (M) | 2003 | Bachelor / Master | Gelsenkirchen (FH) |
| Medical biology | 2004 | Bachelor / Master | Duisburg-Essen (U) |
| Molecular Life Science | 2004 | Bachelor / Master | Lübeck (U) |
| Biology (B) + Biology, Human Biology / Medical Biology (M) | 2004 | Bachelor / Master | Zurich (U) |
| Biology (B) + Biomedicine (M) | 2006 | Bachelor / Master | Hanover (MH) |
| Molecular biology | 2006 | Bachelor / Master | Graz (U + TU) |
| Biochemistry and Molecular Biomedicine, Biotechnology, Molecular Microbiology | 2007 | master | Graz (U + TU) |
| Molecular medicine | 2008 | Bachelor / Master | University of Tübingen |
| Molecular and Technical Medicine | 2010 | Bachelor | Furtwangen University |
| Molecular medicine | 2011 | Bachelor / Master | Medical University Innsbruck |
| Molecular medicine | 2011 | Bachelor | University of Regensburg |
| Molecular medicine | 2014 | master | University of Regensburg |
| Molecular Biomedicine | 2014 | Bachelor | Rheinische Fachhochschule Cologne |
literature
- Gerhard Thews , Ernst Mutschler, Peter Vaupel: Human anatomy, physiology, pathophysiology. 5th edition. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Stuttgart 1999, ISBN 3-8047-1616-4
- Georg Löffler, Petro E. Petrides: Biochemistry and Pathobiochemistry. 7th edition. Springer, Berlin 2003, ISBN 3-540-42295-1
- Gholamali Tariverdian, Werner Buselmaier: Human Genetics. 3. Edition. Springer, Berlin 2004, ISBN 3-540-00873-X
- Charles A. Janeway, Paul Travers, Mark Walport: Immunology. 5th edition. Spektrum Akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg 2002, ISBN 3-8274-1079-7
- Ernst Mutschler, Gerd Geisslinger, Heyo K. Kroemer, Monika Schäfer-Korting: drug effects. Textbook of pharmacology and toxicology. 8th edition. Wissenschaftliche Verlagsgesellschaft mbH, Stuttgart 2001, ISBN 3-8047-1763-2
- Peter Reuter: Dictionary of Human Biology: German - English / English - German. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, Boston and Berlin 2000, ISBN 3-7643-6198-0