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Science Notes
Biology
Main Understanding
- Homeostasis is the ability for the body to maintain a stable internal
environment despite fluctuations in the external environment
...
Vocabulary
Antibodies: a blood protein produced in response to an antigen
Antigen: foreign substance which induces an immune response in the body
Central nervous system: the complex of nerve tissues that controls the
activities of the body
...
through the
environment
Lymphatic system: the network of vessels through which lymph drains from
the tissues into the blood
Neurons: a specialized cell transmitting nerve impulses; a nerve cell
Neurotransmitters: a chemical substance which is released at the end of a
nerve fibre by the arrival of a nerve impulse and, by diffusing across the
synapse or junction, effects the transfer of the impulse to another nerve fibre,
a muscle fibre or some other structure
Non-infectious: not liable to be transmitted through the environment
Pathogen: a microorganism that can cause disease
Peripheral nervous system: the nervous system outside the brain and spinal
cord
Phagocytes: a type of cell within the body capable of engulfing and
absorbing bacteria and other small cells and particles
Reflex arc: the nerve pathway involved in a reflex action, including at its
simplest a sensory nerve and a motor nerve with a synapse between
Synapses: a junction between two nerve cells, consisting of a minute gap
across which impulses pass by diffusion of a neurotransmitter
Toxin: a poison of plant or animal origin, especially one produced by or
derived from microorganisms and acting as an antigen in the body
Vaccination: administration of antigenic material to stimulate an individual’s
immune system
Revision of Body Systems
Respiratory: made up of organs in your body that help you breath
...
Parts of the respiratory system:
- Lungs
- Trachea
- Bronchi
- Diaphragm
Excretory: in charge of getting rid of bodily wastes and excess water
...
Parts of the excretory system:
- Kidneys
- Bladder
- Ureters
- Urethra
- Skin
- Lungs
Digestive: breaks down food and delivers nutrients to every cell in the body
via the bloodstream
...
Parts of the digestive system:
- Stomach
- Small intestine
- Pancreas
- Liver
- Large intestine (bowel)
Reproductive: (or genital system) is a system of sex organs within an organism,
which work together for the purpose of sexual reproduction
...
Parts of the reproductive system:
- External genitalia
- Gonads (produce gamete)
- Testes (male)
- Penis (male)
- Vagina (female)
- Uterus (female)
- Ovaries (female)
Circulatory: the heart, blood and blood vessels make up the circulatory
system, which services all the cells in the body
...
Parts of the circulatory system:
- Heart
- Blood vessels (arteries, veins and capillaries)
Control
Negative feedback
2
...
For
example, the hypothalamus of a human responds to temperature
fluctuations and responds accordingly
...
3
...
- Blood sugar levels (by kidneys)
- Salt and water concentration (by osmosis)
- Fighting infection and disease (by lymphatic system)
The endocrine system
4
...
5
...
It makes
insulin, which controls the amount of sugar in the bloodstream
...
Adrenal glands – there are two adrenal glands which sit on top of each
kidney
...
The outside part of the
gland (adrenal cortex) makes cortisol, aldosterone and sex hormones
...
It releases thyroid
hormone (T4 and T3), which is required for metabolism and body homeostasis
...
Ovaries – are inside the female pelvis
...
The nervous system
7
...
Central nervous system: the part of the nervous system consisting of the
brain and spinal cord
...
Peripheral nervous system: the part of the nervous system that consists of the
nerves and ganglia outside the brain and the spinal cord
...
Structure and function of a neuron
A neuron is an electrically excitable cell that processes and transmits
information through electrical and chemical systems
...
The cerebrum - The cerebrum is the largest part of the human brain,
associated with higher brain function such as thought and action
...
• Frontal Lobe- associated with reasoning, planning, parts of speech,
movement, emotions, and problem solving
• Parietal Lobe- associated with movement, orientation, recognition,
perception of stimuli
• Occipital Lobe- associated with visual processing
Temporal Lobe- associated with perception and recognition of auditory
stimuli, memory, and speech
The cerebellum - has two hemispheres and has a highly folded surface or
cortex
...
The Brain Stem - is responsible for basic vital life functions such as breathing,
heartbeat, and blood pressure
...
• Baroreceptors
• Sensitive to changes in pressure
• Located in blood vessels all over the body and send messages to the brain
as part of a negative feedback system to maintain pressure
• Chemoreceptors
• Responsive to chemical stimuli
• Indirect chemoreceptors help your taste and smell senses to work, and are
located in the mouth and nose
• Responds to the chemicals, sending signals in the brain
• Direct chemoreceptors detect the levels of oxygen and carbon dioxide in
the blood to decide when you need to breathe
• Can also monitor temperature and pH balance
• Photoreceptors
• Responds to light
• Specialized type of neuron Found in the retina
• Capable of photo-transduction (the process through which photons,
elementary particles of light, are converted into electrical signals)
Mechanoreceptors
Responds to mechanical pressure or distortion
Dissections
Risk factors and ethical issues of conducting a dissection:
Risk factors:
- Using sharp instrument resulting in cuts
- Handling fresh material leading to the potential of contracting illness,
infection or virus/disease
Ethical issues:
- How the animals were treated
- How does this affect the environment
- It is wasteful
Disease
Infectious – able to be transmitted from person to person
Non-infectious – not able to be transmitted from person to person
Disease caused by:
Protozoan: a single celled organism that live in water or as parasites, which
are mostly motive and heterotrophic
Fungi: an organism that feeds on organic matter
Parasite: any organism or living thing that benefits from another creature’s
harm, on other words the parasites harm the host while the parasite benefits
Bacteria: a single celled microorganism that cab exist independently or as
parasites
Virus: a small infectious agent that replicates the inside of the living cells of
another organism
Prion: a small proteinaceous disease, which is a causing agent that doesn’t
contain any genetic material
...
Southern Africa is the
worst affected with the highest number is people with HIV/AIDS
...