Human Anatomy and Physiology II

In this lesson, you'll finish up your study of the senses with a discussion on the senses of smell and taste. You'll learn about the structures that respond to chemicals of smell and taste, and how the sensations of smell and taste are perceived in the brain. The lesson will also talk about disorders of both of these senses, and you'll have an opportunity to perform a fun experiment to test the importance of smell to the perception of flavor.

This lesson will go over the fascinating topic of cellular metabolism—the chemical reactions that occur in your body's cells. You'll review the important concepts of homeostasis and negative feedback and learn that homeostasis is maintained by thousands of chemical reactions that occur every second. Those chemical reactions either build larger molecules from smaller ones or break apart larger molecules into smaller ones, so the lesson will discuss what happens in those two major types of reactions. You'll also learn about the capture and storage of energy, the role of enzymes in metabolic pathways, and disorders of cellular metabolism.

In this lesson, you'll continue your study of important chemicals in the human body. You'll start out by reviewing the differences between atoms and ions, and the differences between ionic and covalent bonds. You'll then move on to a study of water, its unique properties, and its important functions. You'll learn that water breaks apart molecules called electrolytes, and that the three major types of electrolytes include acids, bases, and salts. The lesson will also discuss the pH scale—a way to measure the degree of acidity in a substance, and you'll learn about the conditions called acidosis and alkalosis. You'll finish up the lesson with a discussion about imbalances of three important ions—sodium, potassium, and calcium.

In this lesson, you'll go over the wonders of prenatal development. You'll learn about the roles both men and women play in the creation of the zygote—the very first cell that starts a new human life. You'll then follow that new creature through the amazing changes that happen during the first eight weeks after fertilization (the embryonic period). The lesson will also discuss significant events that occur during the rest of the pregnancy (the fetal period). At the end of this lesson, you'll learn about some common causes of both male and female infertility.

In this lesson, you'll learn about pregnancy from the mother's point of view. The lesson will start with a discussion about the placenta and then talk about the way pregnancy affects the mother's different organ systems. It will also discuss the events of childbirth and what a mother experiences during the postpartum period. Many women choose to breastfeed (lactate), so it will also tell you how breasts prepare for lactation, how milk is produced, and how it's secreted. You'll end this lesson with a discussion of a complication of pregnancy called gestational diabetes.

In this lesson, you'll focus on the neonatal period, infancy, and childhood. The lesson will start with a discussion of normal circulation of blood in children and adults and compare that to circulation in the fetus. That's so you can understand the big changes that occur in the heart, blood vessels, and lungs as soon as a baby takes their first breath. The lesson will then talk about other changes in the first four weeks after birth (the neonatal period), and you'll move on to a discussion of reflexes and brain maturation during the first year and significant changes that occur during childhood. At the end of this lesson, you'll learn about a common developmental disorder in children called cerebral palsy.

In the final lesson, you'll go over puberty, adulthood, and old age. You'll learn how hormones work during puberty and what physical changes occur during that time. The lesson will also discuss changes that occur during young adulthood and middle age and spend some time on menopause. It will devote a chapter to the topic of senescence—the process of aging during the years 65 and over. In that chapter, you'll learn several reasons why getting older causes age-related changes. The lesson will end with a discussion of ways to slow down the aging process.