Before we start to think about this question, we have to recognise that very few scientists are ever really famous. I believe that Charles Darwin, Albert Einstein, Marie Curie, Alan Turing and Stephen Hawking are all names that are recognised by very many people (although there is no picture of Hawking on Pixabay, http://www.pixabay.com ).… Continue reading 20.18 How do scientists become famous?

In post 20.16 we saw how the body was able to control its chemical composition; in this post I am going to write about how it controls its temperature. This post is mostly about temperature control in humans. We need to maintain our bodies at about 37oC to provide the optimum conditions for the chemical… Continue reading 20.17 Homeostasis 2 – controlling the body’s temperature

Before you read this, I suggest you read posts 17.49 and 17.50. In post 20.14, I mentioned the belief that acidic drinks could make our body fluids more acid; similarly, many people believe that eating alkaline foods will make their body fluids less acidic. To find out more about acids and alkalis, and the pH… Continue reading 20.16 Homeostasis 1 – controlling the body’s chemical composition

I suggest that before you read this, you read post 20.14. In post 16.18, we saw that a cell is conventionally considered to be the smallest part of us that is alive. Bone contains four types of cell: osteoblasts, osteoclasts, osteocytes and endosteal cells. In this post we will consider only the first two. Osteoblasts… Continue reading 20.15 Osteoporosis 2 – bone cells

Many people believe two things about osteoporosis that are not true: It makes bones more brittle It is caused by loss of calcium from bones. Osteoporosis makes bones less strong but not more brittle. Osteoporotic bone breaks at a lower stress than normal bone – so it’s less strong. But it does not appear to… Continue reading 20.14 Osteoporosis 1 – bone structure