HUMAN BIOLOGY

Professor Nancy Barrickman

CASE STUDY:

DOES COVID-19 IMPACT MORE MALES OR FEMALES?

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/coronavirus-covid-19-kills-more-men-than-women-why-immune-system\

Covid-19 has begun to change the world drastically starting late 2019. This new spoken of disease is believed to have started in Wuhan, China at one of their wet markets. The virus spread fast and has killed many people, causing the world to go into panic. More hypotheses are being created and tested about the new unknown virus, along with everyone having diverse opinions on the virus. The case study I decided to focus on, is regarding the new COVID-19 virus and whether or not sex differences has an impact on survival rate.

Diving deeper into the case study, there is some important information that need to be known before agreeing on if a sex of a human being causes them to be more at risk. We learned in Ch. 15 of the textbook about the body’s defense system. (pg. 300-319) Within this chapter we learned about the different cells within our body that either recognize, respond or protect us from unknown invaders. These cells along with others make up what is known as our immune system. Our immune system protects us from having deadly effects from a disease and prevents future impact.

Not everyone has a perfectly functioning immune system. Some people are born with a malfunctioning immune system, while others immune systems can eventually be weakened. A compromised immune system causes a person to be more susceptible to getting sick. Knowing how the immune system works is crucial in this case study because it is the major topic of discussion. Males and females have different proteins within our body’s that causes things to work differently.

Aimee Cunningham spoke about toll-like receptor 7 proteins within the innate immune system. She mentioned that they appear in the X chromosome, giving women more of these proteins because they have an additional X chromosome. These toll-like receptor 7 proteins help get the immune system working. This gives females a head start with a faster immune system. Within the article, Aimee also mentions a simple factor that through research they have found that more males smoke than females. This can have a major impact on the survival rate of a patient with COVID-19. There are many things discussed throughout this course that would provide valid background knowledge on this case study but I feel like with this specific case knowing about the body’s defense system would be the most beneficial.

REFLECTION:

Perspective of Science: Did the Current Events and/or the source you chose for your case study change the way you think about science? Was it informative and in what way? Did you see evidence of scientists actively engaged in public policy debates as advocates for a particular side?

The topic I chose for my case study was regarding COVID-19 and those affected by the virus. This case study proved to me that everything in this world involves science. I learned that when problems come we always use the scientific method as the source to find a solution. I use the scientific method in my own life without even recognizing it. After reading about this study and seeing how much the world is being affected by COVID, I have a greater appreciation for scientists and those who have studied how things work and why they do the things they do. Our world would honestly be lost without science.By doing this assignment I also learned how complicated and impactful our gender has on our lives, it determines so much. It wasn’t until this study that I realized that gender can impact our survival rate. My eyes have been opened to more knowledge and understanding that has caused me to find answers but also create even more questions. The case study I chose isn’t vocally spoken about within society. I believe it isn’t a debatable topic currently because it is new and not many people are aware of the study. I think that in the future this will be a study of much conversation and opinion. COVID-19 is new within our society, we don’t know who we trust or what is happening because it's always changing.

Connections: Discuss how your case study and/or the Current Events make connections to other disciplines or aspects of society, such as (but not limited to): business, economics, government and public policy, sociology, humanities. Also, did you see any limitations to science - that is, are there other disciplines or aspects of society that must be considered in that particular situation?

COVID-19 is affecting every aspect of life. It is causing our economy to crash, due to the fact we can’t gather together as a society and many people are unable to work. Although a lot of the impacts we are seeing are negative, there also are a lot of positive effects coming from COVID-19. Humanitarian service is happening all over, many are making hundreds of masks, families are now able to spend time together and make lasting memories. To me it seems like the world is crashing down. The world regarding money, jobs, and business. While on the other hand I feel like COVID-19 is bringing people together and spreading a lot of love.

My case study as a whole is focused on the immunity of men and women and how that affects the battle against COVID-19. Specifically, this can affect whether a husband or wife works, or who is safer to go to the grocery store. The role in a home might be changed, having mothers working more now instead of father, or even causing both to work or neither to work.

There are some limitations to science regarding my case study. We all know that one of the most crucial aspects of the scientific method is testing the hypothesis. Due to the restrictions by the law, many people are staying inside not giving researchers valid information. We don’t know who has the virus and who doesn’t. The virus also might have been active for a longer period of time than we know, causing unknown data.

Impact: Describe how the course as a whole has impacted your views on one of more of the following: science and society, the human body, and/or human impacts on the planet.

I have really enjoyed taking this course because I felt like every topic related to me. Human biology gave me a greater appreciation for science and my body as a whole. I would say that I was most impacted on the aspect of science and society by taking this course. The reason I say that is because I really enjoyed the case studies, regarding vaccines and COVID-19. I saw the longer effect that science has on our society and found it intriguing. I loved that we focused on the COVID-19 for a few weeks because it allowed me to be knowledgeable on the current events around me. I realized science is around me all the time, and it saves lives. I enjoyed this class and would recommend it to anyone.