Thursday, October 22, 2009

Fitting a football field inside of you

Hello all, today in R6 we looked at the microscopic structure of the small intestine, an organ so folded up and crammed full of surface area that, if we could unfold it, it would stretch about the distance of a football field.  We connected the large surface area to its role in absorbing digested nutrients into the blood.  More surface area means more contact space for absorption.

Here are some micrographs of the interior of the stomach:






Finally, here is an electron micrograph of a single cell that lines the villi.  Notice that the cell membrane is folded as well - we call these folds microvilli:





So much surface area!

Homework
R4 - complete assessment statements 6.1.3, looking up data about three enzymes.
R6 - continue to work on assessment statements and lab #2

Everyone should download their lab data and read the post below, which has information you need to successfully complete your write-up.
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2 comments:

  1. AnonymousOctober 22, 2009 at 5:28 PM

    Mr. Hill. is there a way for us to know when a comment is posted on this site? some comments were helpful, like gen's when she posted a resource. it is also interesting to see what other people have to say and i dont want to miss out on the opportunity but at the same time i'm too lazy to look through everyday's post. this is just a suggestion =)

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  2. Mr. HillOctober 22, 2009 at 5:46 PM

    If you provide me with your e-mail address, I can can set the blog to e-mail you when new comments are posted. I can put up to ten people on the list, so just let me know in class or comment back with your e-mail if you want this feature turned on for you.

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