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Human Systems

Introduction to this section:

Reading:
BBC News: Drug and suicide deaths rise as US life expectancy drops
Alfie Evans: When are parents denied the final say?
Scientist, 104, begins trip to end his life
Body clock scientists win Nobel Prize
What is homeostasis?

Figure 1: Human Organ Systems

Figure 2: Organ Systems

Video 1: Human Body Systems (7:44)

Study Guide (Transcripts/Summaries):
This section is an overview of the organ systems of the human body. When you are creating categories, there is always the question of how to do the dividing. For example, the video discusses 11 human body systems. If you look at our menu under humans, you will see that my categorization is similar, except that I have split the lymphatic system off from the immune system. I have also separated the central nervous system from the peripheral nervous system. This is for convenience because of the complexity of the nervous system, not because I consider them separate systems. You will also note that there is a section on metabolism. I don’t consider this a separate system, but a topic that aligns with the digestive system. You may have been wondering why we haven’t covered this rather complex topic previously, and now you know why.

Organ systems are composed of two or more organs that interact physically, chemically, or both to accomplish a specific task. An organ is a structural unit of two or more tissue types organized in a specific way that is capable of carrying out specific tasks. Tissues consist of one or more cell types that collectively perform a specific task. For example, epithelial tissue covers body surfaces and lines internal cavities. Organ systems accomplish tasks that are collectively called homeostasis.

Sources:
Figure 1: Human Organ Systems from: CK-12 Biology (say thanks), http://www.ck12.org/book/CK-12-Biology-Concepts/, Figure 13.4
Figure 2: Organ Systems from: CK-12 Biology (say thanks), http://www.ck12.org/book/CK-12-Biology-Concepts/, Figure 1.11
Video 1: Human Body Systems: The 11 Champions, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nnjmrrQ6xOs