Science - Body | Test #7 Flashcards
Which cells in the Eye help see Colour?
Cones
What to Nose Hairs do in the Nasal Cavity?
They help trap particulate matter and moisture, filter
What are the Papillae?
bumps on your tongue, where your taste buds live
What do Ligaments do?
connect bone to bone
What is Proprioception?
The bodies ability to sense its orientation and direction
What are Osteoblasts?
Build bone tissue
The Retina
The Retina, which is the layer near the back of your eye, has a series of photoreceptor cells that help your brain see whatever the eyes are seeing
Colour Blindness
Colour Blindness occurs when certain cone photoreceptors do not send signals properly to the brain
Red-Green Colour Blindness is the most prevalent form of
colour blindness
Colour Blindness is a genetic condition, which is mainly found in males
Colour Blindness can be corrected with special lenses that help wearers perceive the true colour of objects
Which animal has arguably the best sense of smell on Earth?
The African Elephant has often been cited as having the best sense of smell
In 2014, Japanese researchers identified that African Elephants have about 2000 genes dedicated to the sense of smell in their genome
Humans have about 400 dedicated to the sense of smell
The Nose
The Nose serves two purposes for smelling
The First Purpose is to help filter the air entering the nasal cavity
The hairs in your nasal cavity help trap particulate matter such as dust and pollen, which could carry bacteria and viral material
Nasal hairs also helps trap moisture when air is breathed out the nose, which conserves the body’s moisture level
The Second Function of nose
The Second Function of the Nose is to allow for odors to be collected
At the very top of the Nasal Cavity are
Olfactory Nerves or Olfactory Receptors
Aromatic Particles are trapped within the mucus surrounding the Olfactory Nerves
The Olfactory Bulb is the main nerve ending that collects all the signals from the nerves and sends that information to the Brain along the Olfactory Tract
The amount of Olfactory Nerves in Humans is usually about 1/20th the amount as in many dog species
The Brain’s Sense of Smell
When the Brain receives the olfactory signals from the Nose,
it often travels directly to the Limbic System
The Limbic System is mainly concerned with behavioural and emotional responses
Smells can be a sign of danger or something important to survival like eating
Smells are often closely attached to memories,
which is why smells can often trigger emotional or sentimental responses
The Hippocampus in the Brain mainly deals with memory
and is part of the Limbic System
Issues with Smell
Anosmia is the inability to smell
Some people are born with the inability to smell, but most who lose the sense of smell often have infections or inflammations of the nasal passage that block the Olfactory Nerves
Hyperosmia is the ability to have a heightened sense of smell
This can cause people to be more sensitive to smells where their Brain is overwhelmed by certain odors
Many workplaces are now Fragrance-Free due to some people being overly sensitive to certain odors
Which species arguably has the best sense of Taste?
The Catfish can possess as much as 200 000 taste buds across its body and mouth
Humans have about 10 000 taste buds only in their mouth
Function of Taste
The Main Function of Taste is to help the body understand the quality of the food that it is ingesting
There are 5 main forms of taste that Taste Buds can detect
Bitterness is one form of taste that often is attributed to foods that could be harmful to the body
The other 4 forms of taste are often attributed to helping the body prepare for the ingestion of nutritious foods
Sweetness allows to body to know that sugars
such as glucose is being consumed
Sweetness is often seen as a pleasurable form of taste
because of the high caloric value of sugars, which usually encourages the brain to want to consume the sweet food more
Sourness helps identify the level of acidity in foods
Sourness in tolerable amounts can help encourage the production of saliva to help neutralize the level of acidity in foods, but too much sourness can be a sign that the food is inedible
Saltiness helps identify the amount of salt in foods
Salt is an effective electrolyte for the proper functioning of the body, but too much salt in foods can create a negative reaction
Savoriness or Umami helps identify the protein levels in foods
Proteins are essential for the body, so foods that have high protein levels often taste good to humans
Animals and Taste
Carnivores often have less taste buds compared to other animals
They only need to taste whether the meat they are consuming is rancid or not, so bitterness and sourness are helpful
Most Big Cats such as Tigers and Lions cannot taste sweetness because meat has a low glucose level
Omnivores and Herbivores have all 5 forms of taste, but Herbivores have a greater amount of taste buds in order to protect them from poisonous plants
Fishes have more taste buds compared to land animals in order to help them identify food sources within their environment
Interference to Taste
Respiratory Infections can affect one’s sense of smell,
which can interfere with one’s sense of taste
Exposure to Chemicals or Radiation around the head can interfere with the normal functioning of the taste buds
Poor Oral Hygiene can create bacteria growth on the taste buds, which interferes with the way foods will taste
Cone Cells
Cone Cells help your eye see colour, and there are only three types of cone cells: Red, Green, and Blue
Cone cells are most effective in bright light conditions, and most of your cone cells are found in the Fovea, close to the optic nerve
Rod cells
Rod Cells help your eye see changes in light and dark, and helps perceive movement in objects
Rod Cells are most effective in dim light conditions, which helps with night vision
