Glossary Flashcards
Abuction
The movement of a limb or other part away from the midline of the body or from another part
Acrosome
unique membranous organelle located over the anterior part of the sperm nucleus
Allele
A varient form of a gene
Alveoli
Tiny air sacs located at the end of the respiratory tract in the lungs
Antigen
Any substance causing immune system to produce antibodies against it
Atrophy
Decrease in size or wasting away of a body part or tissue
Autosomes
One of the numbered chromosomes as opposed to the sex chromosomes
Bile
A fluid made and release by the liver and stored in the gallbladder
Bronchioles
Air passages inside the lungs
Cerebrospinal fluid
clear, colourless liquid that fills and surrounds the brain and spinal cord and provides a mechanical barrier against shock
compact bone
forms the hard, dense outer layer of bones throughout the human body
dendrites
The retrieving or input portions of a neutron
diaphragm
Major muscle of respiration
dorsiflexion
The action of raising the foot upwards towards the shin
Effectors
a bodily tissue, structure or organ that becomes active in response to stimulation
Emulsification
A process where one liquid being dispersed as small spherical droplets in a second immiscible liquid
Epidermis
Protective outer layer of the skin
Epiglottis
leaf shaped flap of tissue that sits beneath the tongue at the back of the throat
Fertilisation
Process of combining male gamete with the camel gamete
Formed elements
cells and cell fragments suspended in the plasma
Gamete
A reproductive cell of an animal or plant
Genetics
The study of how genes and how traits are passed down from one generation to the next
Homeostasis
Any self-regulating process by which an organ tends to maintain stability while adjusting to conditions that are best for its survival
Hormones
Chemical substances that act like messenger molecules in the body
Hypertrophy
excessive development of an organ or part
Innate immunity
The body’s first line of defence against germs entering the body
Keratinocytes
A cell of the epidermis that produces keratin
latent
existing in hidden or dormant form
ligament
tough bonds of tissue that hold your bones together at your joints
lymph
collection of extra fluid that drains from cells and tissues in your body and isn’t reabsorbed into your capillaries
melanin
a substance present in the skin that produces pigment
meninges
Three layers of membranes that cover and protect the brain and the spinal cord
myelin sheath
Insulating layer, or sheath that forms around servers including those in the brain and spinal cord
Nephrons
Basic structural and functional unit of the kidney
Neuroglia
A class of cells in the brain and spinal cord that form a supporting structure for the neuron’s and provide them with insulation
Neuron
Structural and functional unit of the nervous system, nerve cells
Oogenesis
The process of formation of female gametes
Periosteum
Sheath outside bones which supply them with blood, nerves and the cells that help them grow and heal
Peristalsis
Involuntary contraction and relaxation of longitudinal and circular muscles throughout the digestive tract
Physiology
The study of how the human body works
Plantarflexion
Motion of pointing the foot downwards
Plasma
Superheated matter - so hot that the electrons are ripped away from the atoms forming an ionised gas
Reflex
Involuntary action or automatic action that your body does in response to something
Reflex arc
neurological and sensory mechanism that controls a reflex
Sebum
Fatty lubricant matter secreted by sebaceous glands of the skin
semilunar valves
paired valves of the heart at the bases of the aorta and the pulmonary artery
Spongy bone
lies beneath compact bones and is much lighter and less dense than compact bones
synapse
small gap at the end of a neutron that allows a signal to pass from one neuron to the next
Tendon
A cord of strong, flexible tissue, similar to a rope
Tissue
Group of cells that have similar structure and that function together as a unit
Transverse plane
Passes through the middle of the body and divides the body into horizontal upper and lower halves
Vasoconstriction
The narrowing of blood vessels by small molecules in their walls
Venules
Any of the small branches of a vein that receives oxygen - depleted blood from the capillaries and returns it to the heart via the venous system
Zygote
Fertilised egg cell that results from the union of a female gamete with a male gamete
