Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 29, 2026
12:38
Using Caenorhabditis elegans as a Model System to Study Protein Homeostasis in a Multicellular Organism
Published on: December 18, 2013
6.6K
A physiologist's view of homeostasis
Harold Modell1, William Cliff2, Joel Michael3
1Physiology Educational Research Consortium, Seattle, Washington; modell@physiologyeducation.org.
Advances in Physiology Education
|December 3, 2015
Summary
This study presents a simplified model and vocabulary to improve undergraduate understanding of physiological homeostasis. It addresses common confusions in teaching this core biological concept.
Area of Science:
- Physiology
- Biological Regulation
- Systems Biology
Background:
- Homeostasis, the maintenance of a stable internal environment, is a fundamental physiological concept.
- Early conceptualizations by Claude Bernard and Walter Cannon laid the groundwork for understanding physiological constancy.
- Engineering control system analysis in the 1960s offered new perspectives on homeostatic mechanisms.
Observation:
- Many undergraduate texts present homeostasis abstractly, hindering student comprehension.
- Inconsistencies in vocabulary and illustrations in educational materials create learning "sticky points".
- A lack of a clear, generalizable model impedes effective teaching and learning of homeostasis.
Findings:
- A standard model for homeostatic mechanisms is proposed for undergraduate education.
- Common sources of confusion regarding homeostasis are identified and discussed.
- A simplified model and vocabulary are presented to enhance mental models of physiological regulation.
Implications:
- This work aims to improve how undergraduate students conceptualize and learn about homeostasis.
- The proposed model and vocabulary can foster clearer understanding of physiological regulatory mechanisms.
- Effective mental models of homeostasis are crucial for comprehending complex physiological systems.
Related Concept Videos
01:16What is Homeostasis?
67.8K
Maintaining homeostasis requires that the body continuously maintain its internal conditions. Each physiological condition has a particular set point, from body temperature to blood pressure to levels of certain nutrients. A set point is the physiological value around which the normal range fluctuates. A normal range is a restricted set of values that is optimally healthful and stable. For example, the set point for normal human body temperature is approximately 37°C (98.6°F).
67.8K
01:18Positive and Negative Feedback Loops
26.3K
Animal organs and organ systems constantly adjust to internal and external changes through a process called homeostasis ("steady state"). Examples of these changes include regulation of the level of glucose or calcium in the blood or internal responses to external temperatures. Homeostasis requires maintaining an internal dynamic equilibrium:
26.3K
01:10Homeostatic Imbalance
43.8K
Homeostasis is the maintenance of a stable internal environment within the body, which is crucial for the proper functioning of cells, tissues, organs, and organ systems. The body has various control mechanisms that work together to regulate various physiological parameters such as temperature, blood pressure, pH balance, and fluid balance, to name a few. These control mechanisms are based on feedback loops that can be either positive or negative.
However, sometimes these feedback loops fail,...
However, sometimes these feedback loops fail,...
43.8K
01:16Non-equilibrium in the Cell
5.7K
An important concept in studying metabolism and energy is that of chemical equilibrium. Most chemical reactions are reversible. They can proceed in both directions, releasing energy into their environment in one direction, and absorbing it from the environment in the other direction. The same is true for the chemical reactions involved in cell metabolism, such as the breaking down and building up of proteins into and from individual amino acids, respectively. Reactants within a closed system...
5.7K
01:31pH Homeostasis
21.4K
Acid-base homeostasis is essential for maintaining normal physiological activities in humans. The pH of various body fluids is strictly regulated because it is critical for the optimal activity of enzymes involved in metabolic reactions. Enzymes are basically proteins, so, any significant change in pH can affect their structure and activity. In humans, pH is regulated using three primary mechanisms— chemical buffer systems, respiratory regulation, and renal regulation.
Respiratory...
Respiratory...
21.4K
01:24Overview of Anatomy and Physiology
40.4K
Human anatomy is the scientific study of the body's structures. Some of these structures are very small and can only be observed and analyzed with the assistance of a microscope. Other larger structures can readily be seen, manipulated, measured, and weighed. The word "anatomy" comes from a Greek root that means "to cut apart." Human anatomy was first studied by observing the body's exterior and the wounds of soldiers and other injuries. Later, physicians were allowed to...
40.4K