General Science I – Unit 8: The Human Anatomy (Part 1) Human Building Blocks (1) Flashcards
The outside of the cell is called the _____ ______. It is like an envelope with two layers. It is the door to the cell. It helps to regulate what substances go into and out of the cell. It is flexible, but strong enough to hold the cell together.
Cell membrane
Located just inside the cell membrane is the ______, a thick fluid that resembles egg white. It contains many smaller structures called organelles (small organs). The organelles work together to perform many functions to keep the cell alive. There are many other mechanisms which coordinate their activities within the cell body. Such functions include invasion guards, protective barriers, structural design, and internal and external communication. Many of the chemicals needed for the chemical reactions that take place in the cell are found in the ______.
Cytoplasm
The ______ are the “power plants” of the cell. They receive sugars as food and produce energy for the cell. (part of the Cytoplasm)
Mitochondria
The ______ make up the “assembly shop” of the cell. They receive coded instructions from the nucleus and act like robot machines to make proteins. Proteins are the building blocks of the cells. (part of the Cytoplasm)
Ribosomes
This organelle acts as “packaging and local delivery” for the cell. The ______ apparatus sorts and packages proteins into more complex molecules. This organelle may also deliver the proteins to the cell membrane for delivery outside of the cell.(part of the Cytoplasm)
Golgi body
The ______ are the “recycling center.” They are tiny capsules which act as rubbish collectors. They circulate in the cytoplasm and act like a demolition crew, dissolving harmful materials and recycling worn-out parts of the cell.(part of the Cytoplasm)
Lysosomes
The ______ of the cell is found in the cytoplasm and is the most noticeable structure in the cell. It is a round object that is the control center or “front office” of the cell. The inside of it is like a library which contains all the instructions to make the entire cell factory work. The “library” contains an enormous amount of coded information. The information is packaged into various sets of encyclopedias called “chromosomes.” Instructions from the chromosomes allow the cell factory to build a perfect copy of itself. Amazingly, further instructions direct the building and exact placement of the entire variety of cells within a living organism.
Nucleus
The cell membrane is not solid. It has tiny holes in it that allow things to pass in and out of the cell. Therefore, the cell membrane can control ______ and ______. ______ means to take in, ______means to send out. In this unit you will learn more about how the cells absorb food, water, and oxygen and then how they excrete waste.
Absorption and excretion
Some scientists called ______ists believe that a living cell could organize itself solely by the accidental reaction of nonliving chemicals. This theory may have seemed reasonable to them when their knowledge of the living cell was limited.This is not surprising to Christians, as Genesis highlights creation as much more than accidental. Modern instruments have now provided much greater insight into the complexity of life. Figure 2 shows the living cell that, not long ago, was thought to be very simple.
Microbiologists are scientists who study single-celled organisms (microorganisms). They know now that there is no such thing as a simple living cell. Living cells are a complex assembly of interrelated working parts. All of the parts require each other to function, and they must all work together for a cell to exist.
Our current knowledge of mathematics, genetics, microbiology, and chemistry indicates that a living cell is a product of design and could not possibly have assembled itself by accident.
Evolution
Proteins are the main component of cells and are used to build the cells of an organism. The nucleus of a cell is made of very complicated proteins. A protein is a substance containing nitrogen and other chemicals. They change the food we eat into living matter. DNA and RNA are two important acids found in the nucleus of the cell. DNA is a long, coiled molecule which has parts that link together like a twisted ladder (see Figure 3), forming a double helix shape. DNA contains all the information (genes) which is inherited from the parents. Heredity is the reason that you may have brown eyes like your father and curly hair like your mother. RNA is the substance that carries out DNA’s instructions for protein production. This is describing ______.
Growth
Similar cells in the human body form groups of cells. These groups work together on a special job. Groups of cells that work together and look alike are called tissues. Your skin tissue is made up of skin cells. Muscle tissue is made of special cells. Your blood is a liquid tissue. For example, your heart is made of individual cells called cardiac myocytes. Together, the myocytes form a type of tissue called cardiac muscle. This tissue forms the heart, which is part of the circulatory system.
Cell teamwork
Two or more tissues performing a specific function together form an ______. They perform many life functions for your body. Your heart, brain, and stomach are organs. When several organs work together, a system is formed.
Sometimes this system is disrupted by disease. Diseases in organisms are sometimes caused by system failure. Other times the disruption is caused by outside organisms infecting the body. However when this occurs, the body has other systems that come into action to help the body maintain a healthy status.
Organ
