| The bodies of all living organisms
are made up of cells – cells are the basic “building blocks” of life. Non-living
objects such as rocks do not contain cells. Cells, however, are made of even
smaller pieces! Electrons, protons, and neutrons are
about the smallest particles of which we humans are aware.
Those join together in specific ratios to form elements such as oxygen or sodium.
Elements join together to form chemical compounds
such as water or one of the many proteins. Within our cells, chemical
compounds join together in specific ways to form organelles, which are like “body
parts” within cells. Each type of organelle has a specific chemical composition
and function. Dr. Fankhauser’s photograph shows three cells (stained light
blue) from the inside of someone’s cheek. In the center of
each cell is a more darkly stained nucleus. The nucleus of a cell contains the cell’s DNA,
the instructions for making all the proteins that cell needs. |
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The cells in our bodies are organized into tissues,
groups of cells with a common structure and function. We recognize four main
categories of tissue in our bodies: epithelial tissue, connective tissue, nervous tissue,
and muscle tissue. Dr. Fankhauser’s photograph of a side-view of the retina
of an eye shows about six or seven layers of tissue of which that retina is
composed. |
| Layers of tissues are combined in various ways to make
body organs, such as this brain (Dr. Fankhauser’s photo is of a cat brain, but ours
looks similar). In our stomach, for example, there is a layer of epithelial tissue
on the outside, then several layers of muscle tissue, then on the inside, a layer of
mucus membrane tissue with secretory cells interspersed. |
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Our various body organs are joined together into body
systems, each of which has a specific function. For example our mouth, esophagus,
stomach, small intestine, and large intestine are all parts of our digestive
system. Dr. Fankhauser’s photo shows many of the bones which comprise the
skeletal system, which functions to provide support and protection for the other
body organs. |
| All of these body systems work together to make up our
whole body. Each system has its own function, and all must work together to
maintain proper functioning of the body as a whole. For example, either if the endocrine
cells in the pancreas produce too much or not enough insulin, or if the insulin
receptor cells in the liver are unable to properly receive and respond to insulin,
in either case that can “mess up” the blood-sugar level, making it too high (diabetes)
or too low (hypoglycemia). Because the brain does not store sugar like the muscles
do, the brain is totally dependent on the sugar transported by the blood in order to
function properly, and thus too high or too low of a blood-sugar level can have
negative effects on brain function.
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Who are the players on this team? How is our body organized?
Here’s a chance for you to show a little creativity.
A total of 10 points is possible.
| 1. Overall: |
| 2 | — | The characters creatively and accurately portray the systems or organelles they represent |
| 1 | — | The characters sort-of resemble the systems/organelles they’re supposed to represent |
| 0 | — | The characters poorly represent the systems/organelles – greater effort at creativity and accuracy would have helped |
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| 2 | — | The story was entertaining and fun to read |
| 1 | — | The story was OK |
| 0 | — | The story was monotonous and lacked interest |
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| 2 | — | The grammar, English usage, punctuation, and spelling were very good |
| 1 | — | The grammar, etc. were OK |
| 0 | — | The grammar, etc. were poor |
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| 2 | — | The student, obviously, went beyond the minimum requirements of the assignment |
| 1 | — | The student adequately completed the assignment |
| 0 | — | The student completed considerably less of the assignment than what was required |
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| 2 | — | It is evident that the student used much insight, thoughtfulness, and critical thinking when completing this assignment |
| 1 | — | The student adequately thought about the assignment – there was, perhaps, a bit of “fuzzy thinking” in a couple places |
| 0 | — | The assignment gives the appearance of being “slapped together” just to get it done, with little evidence of thoughtfulness |
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olleyball is
a team sport. Each person on the team plays a role, and the overall success of the team
depends on how well the individual people function together as a team.
Several of the people gathered to play volleyball were also musicians, and they got together
to provide an impromptu concert. In order for the music to sound good to the listeners, the
musicians also had to work together as a team.
Similarly, our body is comprised of several system. Each system is made up of
several organs. Each organ includes several types of tissues.
Each tissue is composed of cells, and in each cell are organelles, each with their
own shapes and functions. A person’s body is definitely a “team effort.”
