Thursday, June 3, 2010

hey ladies! okay so last class we went over the anatomy of the bone and also the functions of the skeleton. so incase you missed some of the facts ill briefly summarize what we went over last class :)


the 3 types of tissue are
1) bone, cartilage, and dense fibrous connective tissue

Longbones are covered by periosteum and there are 2 types of longbone which are
- epiphysis- which is the widened end of the long bone
-diaphysis- which is the shaft of a long bone

there are 2 types of cells which are
- osteoclasts which break down matrix and release calcium to blood, which takes 3 weeks
- ostioblasts which pick up calcium from blood and deposit it in a new bone matrix.
--> one way to remember which one is which is if you think osteoclast which sounds like osteoCRASH which would break down :) thats the way i think of it

The functions of the skeleton are
1) structural support
2) protection of soft body parts ----> ex. skull, rib cage
3) protection of blood cells ---------> ex. red bone marrow in ends of longbone, sternum, pelvis
4) storage of minerals and fat-------> ex. calcium phospate in bone matrix, fat in yellow marrow
5) Locomotion - along with muscles

So in class we didnt get around to watching the Hannah Montana Bone dance cuz the internet was down so i heres a link cuz it could help learning the bones :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3Waxf9KZWpM

Also i think maria asked in class if there what the diffferences were between the girls skeleton and the guys so i found out :)

The main difference between a girl and guys skeleton is the pelvis, because of course the whole childbirth thing. So the womans pelvis is flatter and more rounded . Men have thicker bones, longer limbs and phalanges. while women have smaller ribcages, smaller teeth, less defined facial features such as ur eyebrows and also the small bumb at the back of your head is smaller than men. Also the forearm is shaped differently then a guy, and we also have rounder shoulder blades.

hope this helped :)

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Tuesday, June 1, 2010

Follow-up: Five-Second Rule!

Hey everyone,


So building on what Rebecca mentioned, and stemming from the movie, the guys on Mythbusters attempted to solve the age-old question of whether or not "The Five-Second Rule" actually holds up.

Check out the video to see what happened...

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Osmosis Jones: Part 2

Hey girls, so today we finished the movie Osmosis Jones. There are many parts of the movie that related to what we have learned in bio this year. One of the main things that I noticed was when Osmosis and Drix were talking to the virus in the streets the virus said that he was injected into the body. I notice that this is an example of active immunity. If you remember active immunity is when someone is injected with a vaccine, which is a dead or weakened form of a bacteria or virus.

Also when Osmosis and Drix were in the blackhead club there was a lever at the bar that said "bile". We learnt about bile in the digestive system. Bile is created in the liver and stored in the gull bladder.

The hypothalamus was also mentioned a lot throughout the movie. The hypothalamus deals with homeostasis. This is why when the bad virus takes a DNA bead from the hypothalamus Frank's temperature starts to go crazy. Because the hypothalamus was compromised it couldn't do it's job of keeping the body's temperature constant.

There were also minor hints about the circulatory system, in the movie. One was that the roads were either red or blue. These were supposed to be veins and arteries depending on the colour. (Veins were blue, and arteries were red) This is because veins carry deoxygenated blood thus causing them to be blue. Also the car chase took place on the superior venae cavae , which if you remember is the largest vein in the human body.

This movie also taught us that the highest temperature that the human body can reach is 108 degrees. And also that memories are stored in the subconscious part of the brain.

That's all I could find hoped you liked the movie!!!

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Sunday, May 30, 2010

Osmosis Jones

  • In class on Thursday we watched part of Osmosis Jones. Basically, this guy named Frank, is a couch potato and a zoo keeper. He eats a germ infested egg and catches a disease that are unsure of what it actually is, but his name is "Thrax."
  • Frank thinks he's getting a cold so he pops a cold pill, and Drix and Osmosis Jones work together to stop Thrax from killing Frank, the person they live in.
  • So how does this relate to biology?
  • Osmosis Jones is a lot more entertaining than the Mike Dowling videos we watched all year, and the part we watched talked about how our bodies fight disease, except it made it more fun. This movie gave us an animated tour of the human body and tried to tell us that if we don't eat right and exercise then we'll end up like Frank.
  • The movie says our bodies are like an organized city of cells, all doing their part to keep us healthy, but we have to do our by staying healthy and not being couch potatoes. Osmosis Jones was a more entertaining way of learning how our body works and what can happen we don't take care of it.

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Monday, May 24, 2010




The Skeletal System

Last bio class we watched another great movie. But just incase you were not listening to Mike Dowling, ill try and review the important parts.





-The Skeletal System serves many important functions. It allows are bodys to move, in addition to supporting, protecting, and storing minerals.



- Blood cells are produced by the marrow located in some bones. An average of 2.6 million red blood cells are produced each second by the bone marrow to replace those worn out and destroyed by the liver.



-Bones serve as a storage area for minerals such as calcium, minerals, salts, fats and phosphorus. When an excess is present in the blood, buildup will occur within the bones. When the supply of these minerals within the blood is low, it will be withdrawn from the bones to replenish the supply.



Types of Bone:


Long bones- are longer than they are wide and work as levers. Ex.) Femur

Short bones- are short and spongy. Found in the wrists and ankles.

Flat bones- are thin and have broad surfaces for protection of organs and attachment of muscles.

Irregular bones- are all others that do not fall into the previous categories. They have varied shapes and sizes.


Divisions of the Skeleton

The human skeleton is divided into two distinct parts:

- Axial Skeleton
- Appendicular Skeleton

- The axial skeleton consists of bones that form the axis of the body and support and protect the organs of the head, neck, and trunk. Ex.) The Skull, Sternum, and Ribs.
-The appendicular skeleton is composed of bones that anchor the appendages to the axial skeleton. Ex.) The Upper and Lower Extremities.

Bones

Human Skeletons have 206 bones. Im not going to tell you about all of them but there is a nice picture at the top of the page for you. =)

Joint System:

Functional classification of joints (based on the amount of movement allowed at the joint)

1)Synarthroses: immovable joints

2)Amphiarthroses: slightly movable joints

3)Diarthroses: freely movable joints


Structural classification of joints (based on the material binding the bones together)

1)Fibrous: the articulating bones are held together by fibrous connective tissue.

2)Cartilaginous: the articulating bones are held together by cartilage.

3)Synovial: ligaments aid in supporting the articulating bones. Synovial Joints include:
Gliding joints, Hinge joints, Pivot joints, Saddle joints, ect.



Thats all for now! Have fun reviewing!
=)




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Thursday, May 20, 2010

Today in class we watched a movie about the Muscular System. Muscles make up 40-50% of a person's body mass. The main functions of muscles are to maintain posture, generate heat, and control voluntary and involuntary movement. Muscles contribute to homeostaiss by helping to maintain a constant body temperature of about 96 degrees. There are three types of muscles: skeletal, cardiac, and smooth.

Skeletal muscles are attached to the bones by tendons. There are two types of skeletal muscles: axial and appendicular. Axial muscles are located in the head, neck and trunk, while appendicular muscles are located in the arms and legs. There are many different types of movements controlled by the skeletal muscles:

  • Flexion: brings two bones closer together
  • Tension of Extensions: increases the angel betwee two bones
  • Abduction: movement of limbs away from the midline of the body
  • Aduction: movement of limbs toward the midline of the body
  • Rotation: movement in a circular motion (turning the head)
  • Circumduction: cone-shaped circular movement of a limb (ball and socket)

The joint between and nerve and a muscle is called a neuromuscular junction. When a nerve impulse is sent by the brain to a muscles, the chemical balance at the neuromuscular junction changes. This causes the muscles to move. We control the movement of skeletal muscles. In other words, it is voluntary movement

Caridac muscle is the muscle that lines the wall of the heart. It contracts and relaxes rapidly in order to keep the heart beating. There are two types of smooth mucles: visceral muscles, which line the walls of hollow organs such as the stomach, and multi-unit muscles, which are located in the iris, sorrounding hair folicles, and line the walls of blood vessels. Both cardiac and smooth muscles expand and contract without nerve impulses. They are involuntary movements.

Muscles have two main energy sources. The most common is oxygen. Endurance building exercise, such as running, requires a lot of oxygen. When muscles run out og oxygen or when muscles cannot take in enought oxygen, they stop contracting. They need a bakc-up energy source so they use sugar or glycolosis. Sugar is a more common energy source from strength building exercise such as lifting weights of sprinting.

The movie also talked a bit about the Integumentary System. This system contains teh skin, hair, nails, and glands. The purpose of it is to protect the body. The skin insulates the body and separates the inside of the body from the outside. As we learned in the Special Senses unit, the skin contains two layers: the dermis and the epidermis. The epidermis is the top layer that contains skin cells. the skin cells are replaced every 35-40 days and are what protect out bodies. Hair also helps protect us from teh sun and also keeps dust adn other particles out of our eyes. Both they hair and nails are made of protein and dead cells. There are two types of glands in the Integumentary system: sebatious and sweat glands. Sebatious glands secrete oil and sweat glands secrete wastes and help regulate body temperature.

Someone had asked about yawning and whether it is voluntary of involuntary. I looked it up and it is involuntary. As you probably know, we yawn when we are bored or tired. During these times, our breathing is shallow and not as much oxygen is reaching the lungs. Yawning is the body`s was of trying to get more oxygen into the lungs. When we yawn, our heart rate increases and the lungs and bloodstream are cleansed of carbon dioxide build-up and are filled with fresh oxygen. This helps us to feel more alert and energized. Even fetuses yawn before they are even born, but scientists do not really understand why yet.

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Tuesday, May 11, 2010

Scribe Post: May 11

Diuretics

  • a diuretic is any drug that elevates the flow of urine
  • the increased production of urine releases fluids, helps the body get rid of excess salts, and may reduce blood volume.
Diuretic drugs are used for people with health problems, such as edema, high blood pressure, or other heart related issues. Diuretic drugs inhibit the active transport of sodium at the loop of Henle or DCT. (fig, 16.7 in notes)

Other people use diuretics to help with rapid weight loss in a short period of time by removing retained fluid. However this is not a healthy way to lose weight and it is very temporary. Abusing diuretics can lead to dehydration and potassium deficiencies.

Foods with natural diuretic properties include:
  • cranberry juice
  • coffee
  • cucumbers
  • watermelon
  • vinegar
These can be used by those who require minimal fluid reduction and do not have health concerns.

Alcohol

Alcohol is an example of a diuretic, it encourages the body to lose more water than it takes on by stopping the production of anti-diuretic hormone (ADH). This speeds up the loss of fluid from your body which results in dehydration (cause of hangover).

here is a link if you are interested in the cause of hangovers:
http://www.alcohol.org.nz/BodyEffect.aspx?PostingID=671

Caffeine

Caffeine is another example of a diuretic, it increases the glomerular filtration rate and decreases the tubular reabsorption of sodium.

I also found a youtube video about natural diuretics:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eR0Hnge9UgU

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About This Blog

This is an extension of the Biology classroom that allows for students to have a space for dynamic conversation to more deeply understand the material covered in class.