The Human Body as Compared to an Automobile Engine

My body is like an automobile engine in many ways but instead of an engine, I have a central nervous system, digestive system, cardiovascular system and more. Instead of gasoline, I imbibe water and consume food for fuel. I use it to walk and move my limbs. Humans are amazing “machines” with complex breakdown of energy happening in the stomach and being transported through blood to other parts of the body. Inside a vehicle, there is a cycle of explosions that are resulted from expanding gas in a small space. This happens hundreds of times per minute.

Most cars use a four stroke combustion cycle involving intake stroke, compression stroke, combustion stroke and exhaust stroke. This is similar to the human body which involves respiration, digestion, the cardiovascular system, nervous system and a urination system. In a vehicle, cyclitic movement of a piston starting at the top, and the intake valve opening which moves down the piston to let the engine receive a cylinder-full of gas and air creates the intake stroke. This may be compared to inhalation (just as the exhaust may be similar to expiration). The intake of gas mentioned, may be similar to the human act of digestion, but the combined heat and movement of the piston is more relate to the enzymes, but rather than being a chemical that creates a chemical change, it is more like an action (kinetic) that creates a change of force or pressure.

The movement of the piston back up, compresses this mixture and makes the explosion stronger. A spark plug that ignites the gasoline causes a small explosion and pushes the piston back down. This is kind of like the human act of metabolism. At the bottom of the stroke, an exhaust valve opens and lets the “waste out of the cylinder out of the tailpipe. Expiration, elimination of wastes such as gas, stool and urine may all be compared to releasing waste from the tailpipe. When it is ready for more, it takes in more air and gas. My car (her name is Bessie, because she is a Taurus which means cow) has six cylinders. This means they must all work together in a particular rhythm, like a heartbeat in order to operate smoothly.

Like the body, the vehicle must remain in homeostasis. Everything has to happen at the correct time in order for the vehicle’s system to remain in working condition, in the same way, my body needs to work in the correct order in order to remain healthy. The human needs regular maintenance, such as eating the right food and exercise (similar to having the correct gas and an oil change as well as not leaving the car to sit for extraordinarily long periods). This is also similar to when the sympathetic nervous system and the parasympathetic nervous system work together to create homeostasis so the internal body remains balanced, well timed and stable. Much like an automobile, I receive oxygen and imbibe sustenance. The oxygen I use is distributed throughout the system. Oxygen may also be compared to gasoline that is going into a car.

There are several ways which I would use to improve the functions of my body. Similar to using high quality gasoline, the use of high quality food is always helpful to a good functioning system. Exercise is very important, just as you don’t want to abandon your vehicle for the liquids inside to harden or degrade, you don’t want your arteries to clog or have any issues with your heart for lack of exercise. If I could actually change the body, I would add an additional heart, which would be like adding more pistons. In some science fiction races, such as Tenctonese (Alien Nation’s Newcomers) or Galifreyans (Doctor Who) the concept of two hearts is used. Two hearts may make you more vulnerable to poisons, or better to cope, since they will distribute faster in the system, but may be eliminated faster depending on the poison and the biology involved. So, if you were to have two hearts, you would also have to be equipped with a better urinary and digestive system. You would probably need to consume more food. Another option for improving the body would be to change the form of diet required by humans. Perhaps a more effective digestive system would allow them to consume a larger variety of food, such as having a longer intestine, as found in equines, or a ruminant based digestive system like capricines who have a rumen. This would allow you to consume a larger variety of food that the human body cannot currently break down.