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Homeostasis

Author: Amanda Soderlind

Homeostasis is the ability of an organism (a living thing) to regulate or balance its internal environment. Homeostasis is a state of balance or equilibrium. We are constantly exposed to stimulants that our body must process and react accordingly to in order to maintain homeostasis. In order for our cells to survive certain conditions must be maintained such as body temperature, blood pH, levels of oxygen and many others. Our body has many ways of regulating these factors. For example, to prevent our body from getting too hot we will sweat. When we are cold, we shiver to produce heat in our muscles. This helps us to maintain an internal body temperature near 98.6 degrees Fahrenheit which is necessary for cell survival.  Positive and negative feedback are two ways your body maintains homeostasis. Negative feedback is when your body stops a process and positive feedback is when your body encourages a process in order to maintain homeostasis. Sweating is a negative feedback response because your body is trying to STOP the rise in temperature.

 

Source: body temperatures obtained from: www.seaworld.org, www.princeton.edu, www.petmd.com

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