Post 7: How is Henrietta Lacks Courageous?

In the novel The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks written by Rebecca Skloot, Henrietta Lacks shows courage as she confronts a doctor about her health problems. As a black woman during her time, segregation was still prominent and most African Americans would not even be able to go to the doctor. "David drove Henrietta nearly 20 miles to get there, not because she preferred it, but because it was the only major hospital for miles that treated black patients," (15). The fact that she even admitted to a hospital instead of staying at home hiding her illness was courageous. Many blacks at that time wouldn't dare enter a hospital, scared they wouldn't recieve the help that she needs. In conclusion, I believe that she is courageous because she is able to confront her problems instead of hiding them. She was not afraid to accept help and ask for it as it is hard enough for a black woman to recieve the attention she needs.

Post 6: Chapter 3 Question 15

Cell division is extremely important during the body's growth period. But when an organ is severely damaged, the lolst cells cannot be replaced and in return is permanently damaged. Most cells undergo mitosis until the end of puberty, when adult body size is reached and overall body growth ends. After this time, only certain cells routinely divide. Other cells almost completely lose thier ability to divide when they are fully mature and become amitotic. The cells cannot be replaced by the same type of cells. This is why the heart, for example, becomes weaker and weaker after a heart attack or injury. In conclusion, an organ is permanently damaged after it has been through an injury because the organ does not have the ability to divide and reproduce new cells to repair the damage.

Post 5: Chapter 3 Question 7

In a cell, there are many organelles that have specific functions to keep the body alive. The organelles include the nucleus, nuclear envelope, nucleoli, chromatin, plasma membrane, mitochondria, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, golgi apparatus, lysosomes, peroxisomes, cytoskeleton, and centrioles. The nucleus is like the "headquarters," or the control center for cells. The nucleus is bounded by the nuclear envelope, a double membrane barrier. The nucleoli are sites where ribosomes are assembled. Chromatin are loose networks of bumpy threads that are formed by DNA combining with protein when a cell is not dividing. The plasma membrane is a fragile, transparent barrier the separates the cell contents from the surrounding environment. Cytoplasm is the cellular material outside the nucleus and inside the plasma membrane. It is the "factory area" of the cell. Mitochondrion are threadlike or sausage-shaped organelles are the "powerhouses" of the cells. Mitochondrion carry out the reactions in which oxygen is used to break down foods and turn it into ATP, which is energy for the body. Ribosomes are tiny, dark bodies maed of proteins and RNA. They are the sits of protein synthesis. There are two different types of endoplasmic reticulum (ER) called the rough ER and the smooth ER. The rough ER is studded by ribosomes and is the like the cell's membrane factory. The smooth ER functions in lipid metabolism and detoxifies drugs and pesticides. The golgi apparatus look like a stack of flattened mebraneous sacs with swarms of tiny vesicles and is the "traffic director" for celluar proteins. Lysosomes are membraneous "bags" that contain digestive enzymes. Peroxisomes are membraneous sacs cantaining oxidase enxymes to detoxify harful or poisonous substances. The cytoskeleton is a network of protein structures that extends throughout the cytoplasm and acts as a cell's "bones and muscles" by furnishing an internal framework. The last organelles are centrioles. They are rod-shaped bodies that lie at right angles to each other and are internally made up of fine microtubules. They direct the formation of the mitotic spindle. In conclusion, there are many organelles in a cell that keeps the body alive and they protect it from dangerous substances, filtering out good and bad things in the body.

Post 4: Chapter 3 Question 3

The body has many different cells and they all have different abilities that keep the human body alive and healthy. Fibroblast cells play an important role in keeping the body in one piece as they connect body parts. Fibroblasts have rough ER and a Golgi apparatus to create and secrete protein building blocks. Epithelial cells cover and line body organs. They are hexagonal-shaped, which makes it able for the cells to pack together in sheets. The skeletal muscle cells and smooth muscle cells have the function of moving organs and body parts. These cells are filled with contractile filaments, making it capable to shorten forcefully and move the bones or change the size of internal organs. Fat cells store nutrients. They are produced by a large lipid droplet in its cytoplasm. Macrophage or phagocytic cells fight disease as they can extend pseudopods to crawl through tissue to reach infection sites. Nerve cells or neurons have long processes for receiving messages and transmitting them to other structures in the body. Oocyte cells, found in females, are the largest cells in the body. They are egg cells that contain copies of organelles for distribution to the daughter cells when a fertilized egg becomes an embryo. Sperm cells, found in males, are long and streamlined so that they can swim to the egg for fertilization. All in all, there are many cells and all have unique and different purposes. There are cells that are needed for survival and there are some cells that depend on others. Every cell is important and is necessary for health.

Post 3: Chapter 1 Question 6

Homeostasis is the body's ability to remain stable internally as the outside world is constantly changing. The consequences of the loss of homeostasis include disease, aging, and a less efficient body. When we have a homeostatic imbalance, diseases can occur as our bodies cannot control and remain the same. As we age, our body organs become less efficient and stable. That puts us at risk of having an illness. We have negative and positive feedback mechanisms to regulate the body from the environment. When there is an imbalance, the body is more vulnerable and susceptible to physical trauma. All in all, the consequences of a homeostatic imbalance may be fatal as it is more likely to happen as we age. We can encounter less effiency in our organs or developing an illness or disease that out bodies may not be able to recover from. 

Post 2: Chapter 1 Question 4

As organisms, we can metabolize, grow, digest food, and excrete wastes. We also have other functions that we must perform to survive. The factors that we need in order to survive include nutrients, oxygen, water, and appropriate temperature and atmospheric pressure. In order for the body to survive, we need food, oxygen, and water. Our body can take in the nutrients of food, which contain chemicals, for energy and cell building. Oxygen is also needed to create chemical reactions that release energy from foods. Oxygen is also in blood and body cells to help the respiratory and cardiovascular systems function. Water provides the fluid base for body secretions and excretions. We ingest water from foods and is lost from evaporation in the lungs, skin, and other body excretions. Being able to maintain body temperature is another important function for survival. It prevents the body from slowing down metabolic reactions or causing the body to break down too rapidly. The last function that is very important for the body to survive is being able to inhale oxygen and exhale carbon dioxide. The atmospheric pressure determines the force of air that the body is exerting. In conclusion, the body has many functions that are needed to sustain life. The body takes in nutrients, which works with oxygen to create energy and cell building. The oxygen also acts a catalyst for chemical reactions to occur in the body and water provides body secretions and excretions. The body can also regulate body temperature to keep organs running and can regulate breathing depending on atmospheric pressure.

Post 1: MI

Every person intelligent in a different way. This assessment is a way to find the different strengths a person has. My three strengths are: nature, self, and social. The score that I received for nature was 4.14. My nature intelligence tells me that I am sensitive to nature and the environment. The score for self intelligence was 3.71. I have a good sense of self, meaning I am aware and independent of others. For social, my score was 3.14. This shows that I like to learn from other people and I participate in group discussions.