Human Biology

Human ecology is the interdisciplinary study of the relationships between human populations and their environments, encompassing natural, social, and built surroundings. As a branch of human biology, it investigates how humans adapt to and actively shape their ecosystems, examining the complex, two-way interactions between social organization, culture, and technology on one side, and the physical and biological world on the other. This field analyzes everything from the impact of urbanization on local climates and biodiversity to the ways in which resource availability influences human settlement patterns, health, and cultural development, ultimately seeking to understand the conditions for sustainable human-environment systems.

Human Osteology and Bone Mechanics is the specialized study of the human skeleton, viewed as a dynamic and adaptive structural system. This field integrates the principles of osteology—the identification, gross and microscopic structure, and development of bones—with the principles of biomechanics to understand how the skeleton withstands and responds to physical forces. It examines key properties such as bone strength, elasticity, and fracture toughness, while also exploring the crucial biological process of bone remodeling, whereby bone tissue continuously adapts its mass and architecture in response to mechanical loads and physiological demands.

The biology of aging, or biogerontology, is the scientific field dedicated to understanding the fundamental mechanisms that drive the progressive, time-dependent decline in physiological function over an organism's lifespan. This discipline investigates a complex array of changes at the molecular and cellular levels, such as genomic instability, telomere attrition, mitochondrial dysfunction, and cellular senescence. These underlying processes collectively impair the ability of tissues and organs to maintain homeostasis and respond to stress, which in turn increases an organism's susceptibility to major age-related diseases like cancer, cardiovascular disorders, and neurodegeneration, making it a critical field for improving human healthspan and longevity.