Question

Your body is covered with skin. It helps regulate body temperature, gathers information from the environment, and what other functions?
Responses:
protects the body from allergy, infection, and injury
protects the body from infection, injury, and scars
protects the body from infection, scars, and water loss
protects the body from injury, infection, and water loss

Answer 1

The skin has multiple functions that are vital to the body's health and well-being. Among its primary functions are to:

- Protect the body from injury by providing a barrier to physical impacts, abrasions, and cuts.
- Defend against infection by providing a physical barrier to pathogens such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, as well as producing antimicrobial proteins.
- Prevent water loss by creating a barrier that minimizes the evaporation of moisture from the body, helping to maintain proper hydration and electrolyte balance.

Scarring is actually a result of the skin's repair process after an injury, rather than a function of the skin to protect the body. While it's true that healthy skin can help reduce the likelihood or severity of scars, this is a consequence of the skin's ability to regenerate rather than a direct protective function.

Therefore, the most accurate functions for the skin in the context of your response options would be:
- Protects the body from injury
- Protects the body from infection
- Protects the body from water loss

"Protects the body from injury, infection, and water loss" is the most accurate summary of the skin's functions from the options provided.