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Nerve cells
Neurons (also known as neurones, nerve cells and nerve fibers) are electrically excitable cells in
the nervous system that function to process and transmit information.
In vertebrate animals, neurons are the core components of the brain, spinal cord and
peripheral nerves. Neurons are typically composed of a soma, or cell body, a dendritic tree and
an axon. The majority of vertebrate neurons receive input on the cell body and dendritic tree,
and transmit output via the axon, although there is great heterogeneity throughout the
nervous system, as well as throughout the animal kingdom, in the size, shape and function of
neurons. For invertebrate neurons, the information flow is less well defined. Neurons
communicate via chemical and electrical synapses, in a process known as synaptic
transmission. The fundamental process underlying synaptic transmission is the action
potential, a propagating electrical signal that is generated by exploiting the electrically
excitable membrane of the neuron. Neurons are highly specialized for the fast processing and
transmission of cellular signals.
Word bank: axon, terminal branches, myelin sheath, dendrite, cytoplasm, cell body, and
nucleus
Label the nerve cell and the
fat cell.
Fat cells (adipocytes)
Fat is so often seen as the enemy — something to avoid or lose.
But fat is also a crucial component of the body. Without it, humans
would freeze. Our nerves, uninsulated, would jangle with
crisscrossed communications. We'd be unable to store
crucial supplies of certain vitamins, or have a functioning
immune system. On a cellular level, fats make the membranes that
surround cells possible and act as messengers that bind to proteins and enable various
reactions. With that in mind, the humble fat cell seems a bit miraculous.
Adipocytes, as they're properly known, are the cells that store excess
lipids, the molecules that include fats and related substances.
Adipocytes were once thought to be rather dull sacks of energy, but the past few decades of
research have revealed that they have a lot to do in the body, from regulating nutrients to
releasing hormones that influence blood pressure, thyroid function and even reproduction.
Word bank: membrane, mitochondria, fat reservoir, cytoplasm, nucleus, Golgi apparatus
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Red Blood Cells ( Erythrocytes)
Red blood cells are round with a flattish, indented center, like doughnuts without a hole.
Hemoglobin is the protein inside red blood cells. It carries oxygen. Red blood cells also remove
carbon dioxide from your body, transporting it to the lungs for you to exhale. Red blood cells are
made in the bone marrow. They typically live for about 120 days, and then they die.
Foods rich in iron help you maintain healthy red blood cells. Vitamins are also needed to build
healthy red blood cells. Diseases of the red blood cells include many types of anemia. This is a
condition in which there are too few red blood cells to carry enough oxygen throughout the
body. People with anemia may have red blood cells that have an unusual shape or that look
normal, larger than normal, or smaller than normal. Symptoms of anemia include tiredness,
rapid heart rate, pale skin, feeling cold, and, in severe cases, heart failure. Children who don't
have enough healthy red blood cells grow and develop more slowly than other children. These
symptoms show how important red blood cells are to your daily life.
Define: Hypertonic-
Isotonic-
Root hair cells
Hypotonic-
Root hair cells are specialized (to perform a
specific function). Their structure allows the
plant to absorb more water. They also allow a plant to take in the minerals it
needs to survive. These cells are located underground. This means that they
do not contain chloroplasts (there is no light for photosynthesis).
Root hair cells have long projections that increase the surface area that the
plant can use to absorb water and minerals.
Word bank: vacuole, cytoplasm, cell wall, root hair, nucleus, cell membrane
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