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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Sunday, May 9, 2010

The Nephron and Urine Formation!

Hey guys, sorry this wasn't up earlier! It was one of those situations where I don't look at my agenda until late Sunday night and then realize I forgot to write on the blog. SO, here it goes.

We learned a lot about the nephron this class. The nephron is the funcional unit of the kidney. As was said by Camille (I think it was Camille), nephrons are to the kidney as lobules are to the liver. There are approximately 1 million nephrons in the kidney and each are composed of a system of tubules. Each has its own blood supply. From the renal artery, the afferent arteriole leads into the glomerulus and then blood leaves the glomerulus by way of the efferent arteriole. The efferent arteriole then takes the blood to the peritubular capillaries which surround the rest of the nephron. The blood then goes to the renal vein.

Here is a diagram showing the path of the blood.




Next are the different parts of the nephron. First up is the GLOMERULAR CAPSULE, also known as Bowman's Capsule. Then we have the PROXIMAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE, which is difficult to remember so it can be shortened to PCT. Thirdly is the LOOP OF HENLE, which is a U-shaped tube composed of simple squamous epithelium. Next up is the DISTAL CONVOLUTED TUBULE, which again, may be difficult to remember. So we can shorten it to DCT. Last but not least are the COLLECTING DUCTS. They empty out into the renal pelvis.
Here is another lovely diagram, but this one shows all the different parts of the nephron that I just mentioned.

Now here is the big question that I know you are all secretly asking yourselves...
HOW IS PEE MADE? or in more formal terminoligy: URINE FORMATION.
You see, there are 3 steps to urine formation: GLOMERULAR FILTRATION, TUBULAR REABSORPTION, and TUBULAR SECRETION. Now I'm not going to go into great detail about these 3 steps because you can easily go read your powerpoint notes or textbook. Instead I'll show you a video:
*make note: she says capillary really weird (in my opinion)
AND, sorry guys! I couldn't figure out how to embed the video onto the blog.
Lastly, why is our pee yellow? Well, I actually coincidentally found out the answer to this question ON this blogger website. It said,
"The yellow color in urine is due to chemicals called urobilins. These are the breakdown products of the bile pigment bilirubin. Bilirubin is itself a breakdown product of the heme part of hemoglobin from worn-out red blood cells. Most bilirubin is partly broken down in the liver, stored in the gall bladder, broken down some more in the intestines, and excreted in the feces (its metabolites are what make feces brown), but some remains in the bloodstream to be extracted by the kidneys where, converted to urobilins, it gives urine that familiar yellow tint."

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Wednesday, May 5, 2010

ScribePost: Introduction of Urinary System (May 5)

Ok so today we started off with a pop quiz which was on the bolded words and the funtions of the urinary system found in 16.1 which is pages 304 to the top of 306

Functions of the Urinary System

- there are 4

Excretion of Metabolic Wastes
- this is the toxins leaving your body (nitrogenous wastes).
We started talking about survivorman and how you need to filter your pee before you can drink it if you ever happen to need to hydrate yourself and don't have water. For those of you not in physics who have not seen this video it's about a waterbottle which can filter out anything that is not smaller then 15 nm (nanometers). It's being used in third world countries so maybe an idea for St Mary's mission next year? Anyways here's the video if you want to check it out



Maitenance of Water-Salt Balance
-too much water = higher blood pressure = micturition

Maitenance of Acid-Base Balance
- excrete hydrogen ions but keep bicarbonate ions to make acid (which is why urine has a pH of 6 or lower)

Secretion of Hormones
-renin and erythropoetin

It was asked if high blood pressure caused a person to urinate more often so I researched it and there are no symptoms I could find on any medical website that said that urination occurred more often




Here is a diagram of the Urinary system similar to the one that's found in our textbook (page 305)

The 4 main organs are

  1. Kidneys
  2. Ureters
  3. Urinary Bladder
  4. Urethra

What I found most interesting in class was about the kidney stones. A kidney stone is a build up of iodine crystals which block the urethra causing you not to be able to pee and causes pressure on your bladder. You might remember a certain friends episode...

As Joey showed us it is very painful to pass kidney stones so I thought it would be good to get some prevention tips

Lastly we learnt about the actual urination.

  1. stretch receptors in wall of bladder expand
  2. it can hold up to 250 ml of urine
  3. motor impulse from spinal cord causes contraction
  4. micturition reflex occurs

The reflex is controlled more as we reach adulthood but as Mr Mac said with the dumbell analogy you can only hold your pee for so long.

The power point goes into more detail but as of late is not yet up on the downloads page so keep checking.

We're discussing the Nephron next class which FOR SURE is going to be on the exam either a long or short answer so make sure you pay attention next class. If you want a head start the reading of it starts on page 306 and its a couple pages of reading.

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Tuesday, April 27, 2010

Scribepost: April 23

So, on Friday we learned about the Thyroid Glands and talked about the Adrenal Glands.

-TSH is produced in response to hypothalamic releasing factor
>increase metabolic rate
>Stimulate all body cells
>More glucose is utilized to form ATP
>Necessary for normal growth and nervous system function

-Thyroid requires iodine to produce these hormones
>Iodine deficiency causes simple goiter

-Then we learned about the 3 different disorders that were related to the thyroid.
1. Cretinism

Abnormal thyroid development

-Short, stocky body type
-Severe hypothyroidism
-Mental retardation
-Treatment must begin in first 8 weeks of life

On the left is the scull of a person who was a cretin and on the right is the scull of a regular person.
(http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2004/10/photogalleries/homo_floresiensis_1/images/primary/flores_sapiens.jpg)



2. Myxedema

Hypothyroidism in adults

-lethargy
-weight gain
-loss of hair

On the left is what this man would look like with mxyedema and on the right is what the man would look like with average thyroid production.

(http://legacy.revoptom.com/handbook/images/62a.jpg)



3. Grave's Disease

Hyperthyroidism

-Exophthalmic goiter
-Edema behind eyes causes bulging
-Hyperactivity

-Arrythmias



(http://legacy.revoptom.com/handbook/images/62a.jpg)

Also this link is kind of cool and kind of gross if you guys want to check it out. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V4zh4jdd-m0

But anyways, linking this to real life. I was watching house on Monday, so yesterday night. They were talking about some kind of a disease that had to do with the adrenal glands, they went on to do a CAT scan, where they needed to look closely at the medulla oblongata. It was pretty cool that we actually learned about that stuff, and I sort of knew what they were talking about.

The power point is on the internet now, if you guys haven't downloaded it yet the link is http://www.mikemacaraeg.ca/09-10/Biology_11_Downloads.html.

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Thursday, April 22, 2010

ScribePost: April 22 (20.1 &20.2) Endocrine system

Today in class we got an information overload, so here is a little review:

20.1 Endocrine Glands:

  • Play very important role in homeostatis
  • Produce hormones: These hormones are secrete directly into tissue fluid, then diffused into our blood stream

There are 2 control mechanisms to release hormones:

  1. Negative feedback
  2. Control by the presence of an atagonistic hormone *more important out of two*

Here are 2 videos that talk about the Endocrine System

  1. http://kidshealth.org/kid/htbw/ESmovie.html (Funny)
  2. http://videos.howstuffworks.com/hsw/5352-organ-systems-the-endocrine-system-video.htm

20.2 Hypothalamus and Pituitary Gland

Hypothalamus: Important homeostatic control center, it regulates water balence, hunger, body temperatur, hunger, and satiety. It also controls the Pituitary Gland

Pituitary Gland: Composed of 2 bodies

  1. Anterior Pituitary- Secreates at least 6 different hormones- 3 out of 6 hormones have a target effect on other glands they are: TSH, ACTH, Gonadotrophic The other 3 do not have an effect on other glands they are: MSH, Growth hormone, and Prolactin
  2. Posterior Pituitary- Stores ADH and Oxytocin, which are produced in hypothalamus

I hope this will help you in your 10 minute review tonight!

PS: The information in pink is important!!!!

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Sunday, April 18, 2010

Pros/ Cons ans what i suggest

Acupuncture
Acupuncture is an old Chinese means of healing that has be used for thousands of years. Studies are always being done to prove the pros and cons of acupuncture. A pro for acupuncture is that no medication needs to be taken. This is good for people who do not want to constantly be popping pills. Also there are low risks of very harmful side effects. Also acupuncture is cost efficient. Instead of keeping up with constant prescription medications. It is also said to connect your mind, body , and spirit. Acupuncture can heal, nausea, and pain from arthritis. There are also some cons to acupuncture. If the needles are not sterilized infection can be caused. Also the person must be trained in acupuncture. Acupuncture may cause bruising and light bleeding. Also, those who blood diseases should maybe consider another treatment. Acupuncture does not cure arthritis but eases the pain temporarily.
I would prescribe acupuncture for certain people because it is a drug free, cost friendly , and effective way to temporarily relieve pain. It is a scary concept but it united your inner ying and yang. Acupuncture is not for everyone such as, those with heart disease however, it can help a variety of different pains. Acupuncture also relieves stress, and helps joint mobility. I know a couple of people who have gotten acupuncture and they said it was a bit scary at first but really helped them. My dad also suggests it quite a bit because he has gotten positive results from his patients from it. This concludes my opinion that acupuncture is a sufficient way to relieve pain temporarily.

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BONUS Blog: Acupuncture Case Study (3 points)

Since we are covering special senses right now, this post will deal with a case study that pertains to the sense of touch and cutaneous sense receptors.


You will be required to read the following Case Study, "A Need for Needles: Acupuncture - Does It Really Work?" by Sarah G. Stonefoot and Clyde Freeman Herreid. At the end of the document, you will find your task.

To receive the bonus blog points, you will need to put together an original comparison (2 points), as well as a follow-up conclusion/decision that describes your own opinion that is based upon your findings (1 point). Recommended length: 1 to 1.5 pages.

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Wednesday, April 7, 2010

ScribePost: April 7 (18.3 Sense of Taste and Smell)

Hi girls,


So we started class today reviewing the homework from last night.

Somatic sensors can be categorized into three types:
  1. Proprioceptors - are involved in reflex actions that maintain muscle tone
  2. Cutaneous - the skin is composed of 2 layers: the epidermis and the dermis. The epidermis is stratified squamous epithelium, and the dermis is a thick connective tissue layer. The dermis contains cutaneous receptors, which make the skin sensitive to touch, pressure, pain and temperature. The two different types of cutaneous receptors that are sensitive to pressure are Pacinian corpuscles and Ruffini endings.
  3. Pain Receptors - the skin and many internal organs and tissues have pain receptors. Sometimes stimulation of internal pain receptors is felt as pain from the skin, and the internal organs, which is called referred pain.

We then moved onto learning about the sense of taste and smell (18.3)

Sense of Taste and Smell
  • Taste cells and olfactory cells (smell) are both chemoreceptors
Sense of Taste
  • The sensory receptors in your mouth are called taste buds
  • There are approximately 10 000 taste buds on a human tongue
  • Each papillae (the small elevations on the tongue) has many taste buds on it
  • There are four primary types of taste: sweet, salty, sour and bitter *THIS IS VERY LIKELY TO BE ON THE EXAM*
  • MSG (monosodium glutamate) is a flavour enhancer found most frequently in Chinese food. Some people have an intolerance to it, which makes their taste bud activators really sensitive at first and then really insensitive so that they can't taste much. As Mr. Macaraeg would say the taste it like "wow wow wow and then nothing"
Sense of Smell
  • Smell receptors in your nose are called olfactory receptors
  • About 80-90% of what we "taste" actually comes from smell, which explains why when we're sick food tastes more dull than usual
  • Olfactory cells are modified neurons, and each cell ends in a tuft of 5 cilia.
  • Odor = aroma = smell
Here are some links to videos that deal with what we learned today:


Read more...

Monday, March 22, 2010

ScribePost: March 22

hey girls! ... and Mr. Macaraeg


So today we actually did a few interesting things in class! We took that test, which gave us the chance to see if we were right or left brained. We later learned how this impacted our way of learning, and we were given tips on how to improve our studying using that information.

Left Brained: more orderly, literal, articulate and to the point.

-They are good at understanding directions and anything that is explicit and logical. They can have trouble comprehending emotions and abstract concepts, they can feel lost when things are not clear, doubting anything that is not stated and proven.

Right Brained: more visual and intuitive.

- They are better at summarizing multiple points, picking up on what's not said, visualizing things, and making things up. They can lack attention to detail, directness, organization and the ability to explain their ideas verbally, leaving them unable to communicate effectively.

if you missed class today, you can take a similar test at http://similarminds.com/brain.html

Today in class we also took notes on special senses. This included sensory receptors, and sensations.

Sensory receptors are specialized cells that detect certain types of stimuli.

There are two types:
1. Interoceptors - receives stimuli from inside the body and are directly involved in homeostasis. (e.g. blood pressure, pH levels in blood etc.)
2. Exteroceptors - detect stimuli from the outside of the body and sends messages to the CNS to report changes in the environmental conditions. (e.g. taste, smell, hearing etc)

These 2 types can be further classified into:
1. Chemoreceptors - tongue (e.g. taste)
2. Photoreceptors - eyes (e.g. rods and cones in eyes for vision)
3. Mechanoreceptors - skin and ears (e.g. sound waves -> pressure of air)
4. Thermoreceptors - skin, temperature (e.g. heat, cold)

here are two websites that give a more visual representation for our senses.

1. http://www.mediaspin.com/fivesenses/

2. http://junior.edumedia-sciences.com/en/n119-the-5-senses-and-the-nervous-system

it really goes back to things we learned of as kids, however we can now learn more in depth of how these sensory receptors in our bodies work, and be able to further understand them.

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Monday, March 15, 2010

ScribePost: March 15

heyo, so today we didn't really cover too much, so I'll explain what stuck out to me best.

sort of quick review...
Nerves are bundles of axons
Ganglia are swellings associated with nerves that contain cell bodies

now there are two kinds of nerves, Cranial Nerves and Spinal Nerves. at this point mr. mac explained one of my life long questions- how exactly does brain freeze occur? the secret is in the Cranial Nerves, which are attached to the brain and are either sensory or motor. when we drink a freezing cold beverage, these nerves send crazy little messages up to the brain. and since they are related to the face, neck and head as well, we experience discomfort.

some other stuff that I organized nicely in my notes came out looking like this:

Peripheral Nervous System
......./ ...............................\
.Somatic................ Autonomic
(reflexes) ...........((homeostatic)
............................/.......................\
..................sympathetic .......parasympathetic
.................((fight/flight) .........(rest and digest)


for me I just find that it's easier to understand the divisions and subdivisions of things when they're organized like this- hope it helps you guys also!

ok. so all of this is great and all but the thing that I think I will most likely remember from today's lesson is that something as beautitful as this (http://2aday.files.wordpress.com/2007/05/slurpee.jpg) could cause me such pain, and that the answer to this lies in the Cranial Nerves.

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Sunday, March 14, 2010

ScribePost: March 12

okay so last class we covered/cleared up a couple things:

1. that the cerebellum makes the body movements NOT JERKY but smoooth, and recieves sensory and motor input
and that the brain stem has 3 MAIN parts to it
1. Midbrain: which is the relay center for the cerebrum, celebellum, and breathing/relfex movements of the head
2. Medulla Oblangotta : which is the autonomic (which is described as occuring involuntary) control center, changing the heart beat outside of the heart
3. Pons (mr.mac had fun saying that word) which is the piece of the connective tissue, the bridge of the white matter at the base of the brain

2. that LEARNING is the ability to retain and apply past memories
and that MEMORY is the ability to hold on to or recall a piece of information
there are 3 types of memory
1. Short term - had the information for a short period of time. ex: phone number you look up
2. Long term (more "hands on") has had the info for a LONG period of time/life (semantic memory)
3. skill memory- a combo of motor activities, like swimming/using scissors

3.Broca and Wernicke's areas are only in the left hemisphere of the brain
BROCA- ability to speak ( broca = blah blah blah)
WERNICKE - ability to comprehend speech/understand it

DURING class we were told the story of the man who dealt with explosives and got that metal rod through his head and still managed to survive. well, his name was PHINEAS GAGE.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phineas_Gage
--> here's a link about him, more info about this metal rod thing. if you noticed, he was standing proud with the rod that got him in the head!

http://web.me.com/mmacaraeg/09-10/Biology_11_Downloads_files/Picture%201_1.png
ALSO, heres the link to mr.macs site for the image of the brain, incase nobody got it.

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Friday, March 12, 2010

ScribePost: March 11

okay so important that the slides from March 11ths class are from about slide 22 to 32. Remember the cerebral lobes are very important, and do the maccerena to remember those! Know what they do and where they are located.


this was just kinda an interesting article about shots to the head in the Winnipeg Free Press:
http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/sports/hockey/onsequences-alone-will-stop-head-shots--87454842.html

Also important is the processing centers as well as remembering the Wernicke's area located on the dorsal area of the left temporal lobe. As well as the Broca's area located on the left frontal lobe.

Happy studying :)



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Thursday, March 4, 2010

ScribePost: March 4

Alrightyyy so nervous tissue is hard to understand, i found this animation

http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/0072495855/student_view0/chapter14/animation__transmission_across_a_synapse.html

so theres two parts of the nervous system brain ad spinal cord. figure 17.7 is really helpful.
spinal cord: extends from base of rain to verteral canal. vertabraes act as cushions and protect it. gray matter= inside white matter= outside
KNOWWW THE FUNCTIONSSS OF THE SPINAL CORD
communication b/w brain and body, center for many reflex arcs
brain: cerebrum, the two hemispheres. divided by longitudial fissue( like on a map)
sulci= the grooves
4 LOBES: frontal lobe, parietal lobe, occipital lobe, temporal lobe
KNOW THEM WELL

this might help

http://www.bayareapainmedical.com/spinecrd.html

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Saturday, February 27, 2010

Welcome! ... and Intro to Blogging

A couple fellow teacher colleagues at two other schools introduced me to the usage of blogs in the classroom to enhance student learning. For one of these teachers, the post shown below was made for his students to make them more aware of the implications of digital media and leaving your "digital footprint". Continuing with the advice I gave you on keeping yourself safe with regards to using facebook, please check out the videos shown below.


I hope you enjoy pushing your learning boundaries with this blog. Get involved and use your head!
- Mr. Macaraeg

Blogging is a very public activity. Anything that gets posted on the internet stays there. Forever. Deleting a post simply removes it from the blog post it was posted to. Copies of the post may exist scattered all over the internet. I have come across posts from my students on blogs as far away as Sweden! That is why we are being so careful to respect your privacy and using first names only. We do not use pictures of ourselves. If you really want a graphic image associated with your posting, use an avatar -- a picture of something that represents you, but IS NOT you.

Here are a few videos that illustrate some of what I want you to think about:


Two teachers in the U.S.A. worked with their classes to come up with a list of guidelines for student bloggers. One of them (Bud Hunt) has these suggestions, among others:
  1. Students using blogs are expected to treat blogspaces as classroom spaces. Speech that is inappropriate for class is not appropriate for our blog. While we encourage you to engage in debate and conversation with other bloggers, we also expect that you will conduct yourself in a manner reflective of a representative of this school.
  2. Never EVER EVER give out or record personal information on our blog. Our blog exists as a public space on the Internet. Don't share anything that you don't want the world to know. For your safety, be careful what you say, too. Don't give out your phone number or home address. This is particularly important to remember if you have a personal online journal or blog elsewhere.
  3. Again, your blog is a public space. And if you put it on the Internet, odds are really good that it will stay on the Internet. Always. That means ten years from now when you are looking for a job, it might be possible for an employer to discover some really hateful and immature things you said when you were younger and more prone to foolish things. Be sure that anything you write you are proud of. It can come back to haunt you if you don't.
  4. Never link to something you haven't read. While it isn't your job to police the Internet, when you link to something, you should make sure it is something that you really want to be associated with. If a link contains material that might be creepy or make some people uncomfortable, you should probably try a different source.
... I think Bud's suggestions are excellent. We'll be using the ones I highlighted above as a basis for how we will use our blog.

Cheers,
Mr. K

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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.