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  &lt;span class=&quot;section&quot;&gt;Sci/Tech&lt;/span&gt;
  | &lt;span class=&quot;byline&quot;&gt;Amritha Parthasarathy&lt;/span&gt;
  
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  &lt;div class=&quot;body&quot;&gt;
      &lt;p&gt;The basis of any organism, from the small bacteria that live in volcanoes to the higher-functioning entities that we humans are, is the principle of homeostasis. The Discovery Health website defines homeostasis as &ldquo;a state of balance within the body.&rdquo; In other words, homeostasis is the act of maintaining the internal environment of an organism&rsquo;s body to achieve optimal function. But why is this state important at all for the functioning of the organism, and how exactly does it work?&lt;/p&gt;

&lt;p&gt;The answer to the first question is simple. We do so many things each day, and each function is carried out by a specific organ as it collaborates with the other parts of the body that need a very specific environment to function correctly. Homeostasis maintains these different environments so that each organ can function at maximum potential. For example, the human body maintains an average temperature of 98.6ËšF; according to Gizmodo, this is warm enough to prevent fungal infection, but cold enough t...&lt;/p&gt;

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        Read the full article
        &lt;a href=&quot;http://thetartan.org/2011/10/10/scitech/htw&quot;&gt;online&lt;/a&gt;.
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