Human development (biology)

Human development (biology)

Human development in biology refers to the process of growth and maturation of a human being from conception to adulthood. The term encompasses physical, psychological, and social changes that occur over a human's lifetime.

Pronunciation

• Hyoo-muhn dee-vuh-luhp-muhnt

Etymology

The term "human development" is derived from the Latin words "humanus" meaning human and "developmentum" meaning development.

Stages of Human Development

Human development is typically divided into several key stages:

• Embryonic development - This is the first stage of human development, beginning with fertilization and ending at the eighth week of gestational age. During this stage, the embryo undergoes rapid growth and differentiation.

• Fetal development - This stage begins at the end of the eighth week of gestational age and continues until birth. The fetus continues to grow and mature, developing organs and systems necessary for survival outside the womb.

• Infancy - This stage begins at birth and continues until approximately two years of age. During this stage, the infant grows rapidly and begins to develop basic motor skills and cognitive abilities.

• Childhood - This stage begins at the end of infancy and continues until the onset of adolescence. During this stage, the child continues to grow and develop physically, cognitively, and socially.

• Adolescence - This stage begins with the onset of puberty and continues until the individual reaches adulthood. During this stage, the individual undergoes significant physical, psychological, and social changes.

• Adulthood - This stage begins at the end of adolescence and continues until death. During this stage, the individual continues to grow and change, but at a slower pace than in earlier stages.

Related Terms

• Growth and development
• Life cycle
• Maturation
• Puberty
• Aging

See Also

• Developmental biology
• Human biology
• Human life cycle

External links

• Medical encyclopedia article on Human development (biology)
• Wikipedia's article - Human development (biology)

This WikiMD article is a stub. You can help make it a full article.

---

Languages: - East Asian 中文, 日本, 한국어, South Asian हिन्दी, Urdu, বাংলা, తెలుగు, தமிழ், ಕನ್ನಡ,
Southeast Asian Indonesian, Vietnamese, Thai, မြန်မာဘာသာ, European español, Deutsch, français, русский, português do Brasil, Italian, polski