Physiology in Perspective: Adaptive Responses: Changing to Survive

摘要

"Change in all things is sweet" (Aristotle in Nicomachean Ethics, c. 350 BCE). Aristotle recognized that change in our world occurs naturally and can be both good and bad. Today, we recognize that adaptation is an essential physiological process by which our physiology changes in response to stressors of all sorts; some intrinsic and related to our natural life span, others environmental and related to the world in which we live, and still others that are self-inflicted and far too often destructive.Physiological adaptation can occur at different levels, from the molecular and subcellular level to whole cells, tissues, and organisms. It is now clear that many adaptive mechanisms evolved to enhance survival, but others provide no benefit or underliedisease conditions.