Biomedical Science Camp

MOVEMENT   This work was done as a part of Summer Program at Elio Academy of Biomedical Sciences . Author : Riyaa Sri Ramanathan The central nervous system — brain and spinal cord — directs the coordinated actions of the hundreds of muscles that enable humans to move. The nervous system governs motion by controlling the structures of the body that produce movement — the muscles. Most muscles attach to the skeleton and span joints , the sites where two or more bones come together. The relationship of the muscles with the skeleton is called skeletal muscles . Activating muscles can either flex or extend the joint that they span. Muscles that bend a joint, bringing the bones closer together, are called flexors ; muscles that straighten the joint, increasing the angle between the bones, are called extensors .   Flexors and extensors work in opposition, so when one set of muscles contracts, the other relaxes. For example, bending the elbow requires contraction of the biceps (a fle

TASTE AND SMELL  This work was done as a part of Summer Program at Elio Academy of Biomedical Sciences . Author : Riyaa Sri Ramanathan     Sense of taste is called gustation while the sense of smell is called olfaction . Just as sound is the perception of air pressure waves, sight is the perception of light, smell and taste are the perceptions of tiny molecules in the air and in the food. Both of these senses contribute to how food tastes, and are important for survival thereby enabling people to detect hazardous substances that might be inhaled or ingested.  The cells processing taste and smell are exposed to the outside environment, leaving them vulnerable to damage. As a result of this, taste receptor cells and olfactory receptor neurons regularly regenerate. In fact, olfactory neurons are the only sensory neurons that are continually replaced throughout peoples’ lives. Ability to taste food occurs as molecules are released during chewing or drinking. These molecules are

H earing  This work was done as a part of Summer Program at Elio Academy of Biomedical Sciences . Author : Riyaa Sri Ramanathan     Human h earing is one of the most important senses, central to social interactions. Communication within one another happens by processing and interpreting complex messages in the form of speech sounds. Hearing (auditory) system picks up several qualities of signals it detects, such as a sound’s pitch, loudness, duration, and location. Auditory system also analyzes complex sounds, breaking them into separate components or frequencies. Process of hearing happens in a more incremental way. Hearing involves a series of steps that convert sound waves in the air into electrical signals that are carried to the brain by nerve cells. Sound in the form of air pressure waves reaches the pinnae of the ears, where the waves are funneled into each ear canal to reach the eardrum , also known as tympanic membrane . The eardrum vibrates in response to these