- What is a cycle?
- Lifecycle
- Menstrual cycle
- Biogeochemical cycles
- Water cycle
- Economic cycle
- Cultural cycle
We explain what a cycle is, and its specific meaning in biology, reproduction, economy and culture.
What is a cycle?
In general, we call a cycle or a circuit all those processes or sets of processes that, once they have elapsed, return to their initial position, that is, they are periodically and continuously repeated.
The Humans we have observed the cycles of nature forever, and we have understood that repetition is an important element to sustain a process over time. Thus, most biochemical and biological processes operate in cycles, as do many of the processes of the society human. There are even conceptions that propose the whole time as a gigantic cycle, instead of a straight line.
For its part, the word cycle comes from the Greek kyklos, which translates as "wheel" or "circle." That is why we can find it as part of words such as bicycle, unicycle, cyclothymia or recycling, and many others that are associated with the idea of the wheel or with what is repeated periodically.
In addition, it is etymologically linked to the verb colere ("To cultivate"), since the farming It is a discipline that implies the understanding and use, precisely, of the climatic cycles of nature.
It is also common to find the term cycle in relation to contexts very specific of knowledge. For example, the term is used to encompass literary works belonging to the same tradition, when they narrate events related to the same period of time or with the same characters: the Arthurian cycle of literature Celtic, or the Trojan cycle of Greek literature.
Another example of the specific use of the word relates to the computing: an instruction cycle is the time it takes to CPU of a computer system to execute an instruction of a Program, carrying out a series of internal computer processes.
For the rest, there are so many examples that we could cite that it would be impossible to list them all. Next, we will address the most important ones.
Lifecycle
The life cycle or life cycle is the name given to the set of vital stages of a organism any biological, regardless of kingdom of life to which it belongs, and ranging from birth to death. This vital circuit is common to all forms of life, although it can occur through different mechanisms, and includes the following:
- Birth, the starting point of life, when a new living being he is spawned and emerges into the real world to begin his journey.
- Growth, a stage that begins as soon as individual It is born, and in which it is dedicated to feeding itself until it gathers the nutrients and the level of development sufficient to start its maturation stage.
- Maturation, stage in which the individual undergoes the necessary changes to get his body ready for reproduction. In humans, this stage is known as adolescence.
- Reproduction, stage in which the individual is dedicated to engender as many new living beings as possible or, in the case of the human being, desirable.
- Old age, stage of decay and slowing down of metabolism, in which the degree of entropy in the organism it is triggered, and in which the individual prepares for death.
- Death, end point of life, in which the organism is unable to perpetuate its existence and perishes. At the end of life, the body begins its stage of decomposition.
Menstrual cycle
The menstrual cycle is a preparation for reproduction.
The menstrual cycle (of menstruation) or female reproductive cycle is a biological circuit common to all individuals of the female sex of the species of mammals, especially the human one. Its purpose is to renew the internal tissue of the reproductive system so that it is ready and in optimal condition when the next reproductive opportunity presents itself.
This cycle occurs monthly, in periods of approximately 28 days, more or less exact and coinciding with the lunar calendar. Its different stages are as follows:
- Menstruation, also called menstruation, period, or menstrual bleeding, is the shedding of the uterine endometrium, along with a quantity of blood, over two to seven days. On those days it is normal to experience pain, irritability and hormonal changes. Normally menstruation occurs in the absence of pregnancy.
- Preovulation, also called the follicular or proliferative phase, in which the uterine tissue grows again, as the estrogens produced by the ovary make an ovum mature and thicken the endometrium, producing cervical mucus.
- Ovulation, intermediate moment of the cycle (around 14 days) in which the mature ovum is carried from the ovary to the uterus through the fallopian tubes, in the midst of a true hormonal storm, which in some cases can cause pain from head and even partial bleeds. This is the most fertile stage of the entire reproductive cycle (between five days before and one day after ovulation).
- Post-ovulation, known as the luteal or secretory phase, is the last stage of the cycle, during which, if pregnancy does not occur, the body prepares to restart the cycle and produce menstruation. In the case of fertilization of the ovum, on the other hand, this stage initiates the hormonal and biochemical changes that guarantee its implantation in the uterus.
Biogeochemical cycles
Biogeochemical cycles are those that occur in nature and that involve elements and / or actors of biological, geological and chemical origin, that is, living beings, elements present in the Earth crust, and various chemical reactions.
These types of cycles allow the exchange of certain elements key to the formation of organic material between the environment and the living beings themselves, in a dynamic of recycling of utmost importance for planetary life.
These cycles comprise the circulation of two types of nutrients:
- Macronutrients, such as carbon, oxygen, hydrogen, nitrogen, match, sulfur, calcium, magnesium and potassium, which make up up to 95% of the mass of the body of living beings.
- Micronutrients, 132 other trace elements present in small traces in the body of living beings, such as iron, copper, zinc, chlorine or iodine.
Water cycle
The hydrological cycle or water cycle is a complex circuit of planetary scope, along which the Water passes from a physical state to others. This is how it moves from the different bodies of water (seas, lakes, rivers and underground reservoirs) to the atmosphere (in form of steam) and re-precipitating as rain, snow or hail, or depositing as ice on the mountain tops and in the circumpolar regions of the planet.
This cycle is of vital importance for planetary climate stability, because in its transit through the different stages, water helps the temperature circulate and be more uniform. In addition, the action of water on the earth's surface produces erosion, accentuating the relief and wearing away the material of the earth's crust, which thus feeds the different planetary biogeochemical cycles.
Economic cycle
For its part, in economy business cycles or business cycles are the recurring oscillations that economies present capitalists, in which a period of expansion is followed by another of contraction, followed by a new expansion and so on. Expansion segments are experienced as bonanzas, while contraction or recession segments are experienced as crisis.
Many economists and thinkers have proposed explanations for the phenomenon of business cycles, some of them (Keynesianism) even affirming that they are inherent to capitalism, while others (the Austrian school) consider it as the consequence of a previous artificial expansion, or that is, the product of indebtedness and not of accumulated savings.
Since the 20th century, and especially after the Great Depression of 1929, efforts have been invested in studying the economic cycle, in order to be able to predict its causes and control the oscillation between recession and abundance, in order to obtain less variation, this it is, less exorbitant abundances, but also less pronounced recessions. In this way, the aim is to achieve a balance.
Cultural cycle
The cultural cycle is the global process of creation, dissemination and valuation of cultural products or goods in the world, according to a flexible model that proposes five recognizable links in the "life cycle" of culture:
- Creation, stage in which artists and writers generate the raw material of the cultural expressions of a society. For example: an author writes a manuscript, or a musician composes a symphony.
- Production, stage in which the created work enters the cultural industry system, thus becoming a consumable cultural asset. For example: the work written by the author is edited and published, or the symphony rehearsed by a symphony until it is reproduced.
- Diffusion, stage in which the work produced begins its way to its natural audience, through the appropriate instances. For example: the author's book is sold in bookstores, or the symphony played in an amphitheater for a season.
- Promotion, stage in which additional efforts are invested to attract the public to the work produced and disseminated, making it visible through Massive media or strategies marketing. For example: the author's book is presented at a book fair, or the musical symphony promoted on the radio.
- Consumption, the final stage of the cycle, in which the work reaches its public or audience and generates in them a cultural experience, which in turn translates into celebration, fan participation, versions, etc. For example: the author's book is consumed in readers' circles, or the musical symphony is used as the soundtrack in massive films.