By the numbers
What pH is your body aiming for? 100 point bonus: A pH of 6.6 is acidic or basic?
7.4, acidic
Name an adaptation to heat by elephants
Large ears, slow metabolism, mud baths
Which animal has a higher metabolic rate, a mouse or a moose?
A mouse. Its much smaller with a more rapid heart beat and shorter lifespan. (Mice are ready to reproduce at 6-8 weeks old!)
This viral infection brought to the Americas by settlers from Europe was responsible for millions of deaths
Measles
How many times a day does the kidney filter your blood?
20
Name 3 cold adaptations by penguins
waterproof feathers, thick plumage, fat stores, low surface area to volume ratio, huddling
What would happen to a butterfly if it were suddenly the size of a whale?
It would melt/explode
This mycoplasma bacteria secretes a white substance that hides it from your immune system allowing it to sit in your body for decades
Tuberculosis (or TB)
What percentage of the oxygen at sea level is available on Everest?
~33%
Evaporative cooling
Name two functions of the kidney
Water balance, toxin removal, acid base balance
This infection is transmitted by bats, raccoons, dogs and other animals via their saliva (being bitten). What is it and what is the treatment?
Rabies, rabies vaccine
What is the functional unit of a kidney? How many does each kidney have?
Nephron, approximately 1 million
Why does sweating reduce your urine output?
Because you excrete water through the skin, so the kidneys hold on to as much water as they can to maintain your blood volume.
Name three symptoms of hypothermia
Lack of shivering, confusion/tiredness, apathy, slow heart rate and breathing, unconsciousness, blue skin
What is a bacteriophage?
A virus that infects bacteria
Estimate the surface area to volume ratio for an organism roughly 1 x 1 x1 cm (baby mouse)? How about an organism roughly 5 x 5 x 5 cm (baby cat)? [Hint: calculate as a cube. You have an extra minute to figure this out.]
Baby Mouse:6 cm^2 / 1 cm^3 --> 6/1 = 6
Baby cat: 150 cm^2 / 125 cm^3--> 150/125 = 1.2
Why does shivering warm up your body?
It generates internal heat via movement and energy utilization from the muscle (mitochondria!).
What organelle inside the cell generates heat in the body?
mitochondria (the powerhouse of the cell)
What parasite infects red blood cells and causes anemia?
Malaria