Owl Pellet Lab

We dissected an owl pellet which is basically what an owl throws up. In the pellet, we saw many things like fur and bones and what looked like dirt. The organisms in our pellet were a mole. We knew that there was a mole because we saw the pelvis bone and it looked just like the one in the manual. This was really cool because we found a socket and imagined as if it were actually being a joint.

 
We also found parts of the mole's vertebrae and we know is was a mole and not a bird because the pieces were bigger than those a bird would have.

The skeleton of a mole could be similar and different to those of a human. Its different in a way that the pelvis is lower and different because the animal goes on four legs whereas the humans are on two. Also, the vertebrae of the animals are smaller and there are less bones to it. The pelvis and joints thought work in the same way as humans in that the socket is what helps the movement. Also, they both have ulna and radius and tibia and fibula in the arms and legs that one looks smaller than the other. The moles, though, are on opposite sides where the radius and ulna are switched. In the mole and in the human, the skull looks the same.
Below are some pictures from the dissection!

Unit 5 Reflection

This unit was mainly about some of the different systems inside of your body and other things inside the body.We learned about the digestive system, fuel metabolism, endocrine system and the lymphatic system.

The digestive system actually really fascinated me. I learned that many things go on in the digestive system like ingestion and absorption. Also that people may think that not eating will help them lose weight but its actually really bad for you. It can stress you out and actually do harm to your body.

We also learned about fuel metabolism. There are 3 important stages: Fed state, which is the absorption state, Fasting state, which is the post-absorptive state, and Starvation state, which is when you have fased for 4-5 days. Something interesting I learned was that when you no energy or fuel to burn off food, the brain switches to ketone bodies for fuel.

The endocrine system talks a lot about different glands such as posterior and anterior pituitary glands.

My favorite one to learn about was the Lymphatic system. This talked about capillaries, vessels and nodes. The Lymphatic system does a lot such as immunity, lipid absorption, and fluid recovery.

In this unit, I struggled to learn about fuel metabolism because a lot of the terms confused me and it was difficult to understand, but I would love to learn more about it so I do plan on researching more about it when I have time. I enjoyed learning about diabetes and the lymphatic system. They really interested me and got me wondering about what goes on in the body when diabetes occurs and also about the different organs int he lymphatic system like spleen and tonsils.
We did many activities in this unit like making the digestive system out of yarn and making a poster of one of the important stages (picture below). I really had fun making the digestive system out of yarn. 

In my New Years goal, one thing I said was that I wanted to pay more attention during lectures and I actually have been. I take more notes and I am more alert when the teacher is teaching a lecture. Also, I have been a lot more organized this year, which is another thing I mentioned that I needed to work on.

Digestive System Lab

1. In this lab, we recreated the digestive system using colored ribbons and a string. We measured our body parts to the length of the ribbons/string and tied them together to created the digestive syster. Below is the length and color of each ribbon/string.

2. My digestive track is 8.76 meters whereas I am 1.651 meters. My digestive track is much bigger than my height. I think the digestive system is really condensed together and bent in order to fit in my abdomen.
3. I think it takes about 1-2 hours for the food to travel through the digestive track. It actually takes about 6-7 hours. It must go through the colon, absorb water and to many other parts of the body before it fully digests.
4. Digestion breaks down food into smaller components whereas absorption is where ingested food is absorbed. Digestion involves mouth, stomach. Absorption is in the intestines.
5. I would love to learn more about why it takes so long to digest food and what other things are involved in the digestive system.

New Years Goals

This year I have a lot of goals that I do plan on achieving. Two of which include being more organized and paying more attention to lectures in class vodcasts for anatomy and physiology and being and eating healthy and staying in shape.

First, I want to do whatever I can to be more organized in class and being more attentive in class and at home. Although I do work hard in this class, I will work even harder and do my best. I will start keeping all my papers and organizing my notebook better and I will take as many notes as I can. Anatomy and physiology is really interesting to me so it will not be hard, I just need to be more alert an organized with my things.

Another goal I will obtain is staying healthy. First, I need to eat healthier so I do not damage my body get sick in any way. I will also try and stay fit so that I ca do better at what I do such as competitive cheer. I want to be fit to have more energy and to look more presentable in a way. Not only do I plan on staying physically healthy, I will work on being mentally healthy too. I will sleep more and be as social as I can. Being interactive makes me happy and I plan on doing more than I already have. I will join clubs inside and outside of school and maybe even start volunteering to help out and make new friends through that. Being healthy overall is really important to me.

In conclusion, I will do everything I can to achieve these goals to make me an overall better person. I will be more organized and attentive and I will stay healthy and improve myself mentally and physically. 

Dissection Video

This is our sheep heart dissection video!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gussycC6joU

Sheep Heart Dissection Questions

Q1. The purpose of the pericardium is to protect the heart. It also secretes a fluid to lubricate the heart and reduce friction.
Q2. The arteries and veins of the heart differ in a few ways. The vein is thinner than the artery and prevents back flow in the heart.
Q3. The auricle inflates as blood goes through and increases the volume of the atrium.
Q4. The ventricle and atria look very similar. A difference between the two is that the ventricle is thicker than the atria.
Q6.

Q7. Without the chordate tendinae and papillary muscle, the valves would not close and the blood would not flow properly.                                                                                                                                              

Q8. 

Q9. The function of the semi-lunar valve is to prevent back flow of blood from the arteries to the ventricles.  

Q10. a) Swelling in the feet and ankles due to a valve disease occurring on the right side is because the blood from the lower body would now properly flow through the heart. This cause the blood to stay in the lower body leading to swelling in the feet and ankles. 

b)If valve disease were to occur on the left side of the heart, the blood would not reach the lungs properly and breathing would be difficult due to the lack of oxygen.

Q11. 

Q12. The left and right side of the heart receives deoxygenated blood whereas the left side of the heart receives oxygen rich blood. The right side of the heart send the blood to the lungs and the left side sends the blood to the other parts of the body.

Q13. 

Unit 3 Reflection

Unit 3 was about the Cardiovascular System. The Circulatory System is a fluid filled network of tubes through which materials more between the environment and cells of multicellular animals. It transports the materials needed by cells and removes waste materials from cells.
Heart disease and strokes are caused by an unhealthy diet. This leads to fat being built up in the vessels. This could also lead to artherosclerosis.

To promote our health, we can do many things such as exercise, eat healthy, do not smoke and so much more!
I would love to learn more about what can happen to the heart if we don't treat it properly and to learn more about how to stay healthy and in good condition.

I think that one of my strengths throughout this unit was the location of the heart. I had trouble, though, learning about the different cells and disease but I will definitely find time to learn it own my own.

This unit, we dissected a sheep's heart. This was a really fun and interesting lab and I really look forward to more dissections in the future.
Below is a picture of the heart we dissected!