Systems
Name the body systems.
Respiratory system; nervous system; digestive system; musculoskeletal system; cardiovascular (circulatory) system; endocrine system; reproductive system; lymphatic system; urinary system.
Which organs never stop working?
The heart and lungs.
The adjectives pulmonary and cardiac refer to specific organs. Which ones do they refer to?
Pulmonary=of the lungs; cardiac= of the heart
Describe the two main organs of the central nervous system. Which part of the musculoskeletal system are they close to?
The brain and spinal cord; the skull and spinal column or backbone.
Which organ is the largest of the body? (Hint: this organ is all over the body)
The skin! An organ is defined as specialized cells that function for a specific purpose, therefore forming tissue. Unified tissue combines to create an organ.
Which system sends messages to the body and receives messages from the body? How?
The nervous system receives information from the central and peripheral nervous systems, sending messages from the brain and interpreting signals from the body.
How many muscles and bones does a human have on average?
206 bones and 700 muscles.
Cells have special functions. Special cells form ___________ which work together, which then develop into ____________ like the heart, lungs, pancreas, brain, and so on.
tissues; organs.
Put these in order from smallest to largest. What do they form?
a)tissues
b)cells
c)organs
Cells - tissues - organs. They work together to form body systems.
Evolutionary anthropologists have at various times said that these organs or body parts separate humans from other animals. Which are they?
The large brain; the eyes; the hands.
The nose and throat are part of what system?
The respiratory system.
What do epithelial cells do?
They are a special type of cell that line the nose, throat, windpipe, stomach, and intestines. You can think of them as "skin" but on the inside of the body.
Describe how a person turns food into fuel.
A person chews food to break it down with the teeth and saliva; then the food is swallowed and dissolved in the stomach; the intestines absorb nutrients and separate waste and toxins, which the other organs process (like the pancreas, liver, and kidneys). The waste is then excreted through the urinary and excretory systems.
How are the circulatory system and the respiratory system connected?
The lungs breathe in air, and they pass oxygen to the blood as it moves through the pulmonary veins and arteries. The oxygen-rich blood then travels to all the cells of the body, delivering oxygen.
What do we mean when we say "fight, flight, or freeze"?
These are ancient survival reactions of a human body to avoid danger. They are reflexes that a person's nervous system triggers when a person senses a physical threat. They developed as part of human evolution to survive alone and promote the survival of others, like kin, family, and children.
Explain how the respiratory system conducts elements like oxygen into and carbon dioxide out of the body?
The lungs draw oxygen from air and puts that into the blood when a person inhales; they extract carbon dioxide from the blood and expel it when a person exhales.
How is a human recognizable as a mammal, as opposed to another life form, like an insect? Consider the external features.
Humans have a head oriented with sensory organs oriented forwards, a torso, and extremities like arms and legs; humans walk upright on two legs; they do not crawl as part of their regular movement. Humans have hair in specific parts of the body, as opposed to fur all over the body.
What gives a human organic or physical life?
All the systems work together.
The musculoskeletal, circulatory, and nervous systems are called infrastructural systems. Why are they considered infrastructure?
These systems give the body the basic structure that it needs to allow the other systems to function by providing protection, movement, shape, life support, and communication for the more specialized functions of the other systems.
How can lived experiences like trauma impact the body?
Answers will vary. Traumatic experiences can cause stress and anxiety, which affects all parts of the body but especially through the central, peripheral, and autonomous nervous system, such as breathing and heart rate.