Anatomy and Physiology Overview

The study of the structure of the body's parts and their relationships to one another

The study of how the body works and carries out life-sustaining activities

The study of large body structures visible to the naked eye

Investigates all structures in a specific body region, like the leg or abdomen

Examines the body's systems one at a time, like the cardiovascular or digestive system

Studies internal structures as they relate to the skin surface

The study of structures too small to be seen with the naked eye, often involves microscopic techniques

The study of the function of the body's parts, and how those parts work together

Smallest unit of matter, building blocks of molecules.

Two or more atoms combined, like water or protein.

The basic unit of life, composed of organelles.

Groups of similar cells working together for a common function.

Two or more tissues combined for a specific function, like the heart or lungs.

A group of organs working together to perform specific functions for the body.

The sum total of all the levels of organization working together to sustain life.

A barrier that separates the inside of a cell from the outside.

Covers body surfaces, lines cavities, and forms glands.

Provides movement and heat generation.

Supports and protects organs, stores energy, and transports substances.

Transmits information rapidly throughout the body.

Forms external body covering, protects deeper tissues, synthesizes vitamin D.

Protects and supports organs, provides framework for movement, produces blood cells.

Allows movement, maintains posture, produces heat.

The body's ability to maintain a stable internal environment despite external changes, like temperature or blood glucose levels.

Communication within the body, using hormones and nerve impulses to regulate functions and maintain homeostasis.

The factor or event being regulated, like body temperature or blood sugar.

A sensor that detects changes in the environment, like temperature receptors in the skin.

The pathway that transmits information from the receptor to the control center.

The set point is the desired level or range for a variable, like the ideal body temperature.

The brain or other organs that analyze the input from the receptor, compare it to the set point, and determine the appropriate response.

The pathway that transmits information from the control center to the effector.

An organ or tissue that carries out the control center's response to the stimulus, like muscles or glands.

A mechanism that reduces the intensity of a stimulus, restoring the variable to its normal range.

The ability of a muscle cell to shorten and generate force, leading to movement.

The ability to sense changes in the environment (stimuli) and respond to them.

The breakdown of large food molecules into smaller, absorbable units.

All chemical reactions occurring within body cells.

The process of removing waste products from the body.

The process of producing new cells for growth and repair.

The production of offspring.

An increase in the size of a body part or the entire organism.

Substances required for energy and cell building.

A vital gas necessary for energy production.

The most abundant chemical substance in the body.

The temperature at which your body functions optimally.

The force exerted by the air on your body's surface.

The system that protects internal organs from damage, drying out and infection.

The study of the structure of body parts and their relationships to one another.

The study of how the body parts work and carry out life-sustaining activities.

The study of large body structures visible to the naked eye, like the heart, lungs, and kidneys.

Examines the relationships between body structures within a specific region, like the leg or abdomen.

Studies body structures system by system, such as the cardiovascular, digestive, or nervous system.

The study of structures too small to be seen with the naked eye, requiring microscopic techniques.

Concerns the developmental changes that occur before birth.

The function of the body always reflects its structure. For example, the heart has valves that prevent backflow of blood, ensuring blood flows in one direction.

Refers to the processes that maintain homeostasis by bringing a variable back to its set point.

The simplest level of structural organization in the human body, composed of atoms and molecules.

The level of organization where cells are the basic unit of life, varying in size and shape to perform different functions.

Groups of similar cells that work together to perform a specific function, like muscle tissue for movement.

A structure composed of at least two tissue types that performs a specific function, like the stomach for digestion.

Groups of organs that work together to accomplish a common purpose, like the cardiovascular system which circulates blood.

The highest level of organization, encompassing all structural levels working together to keep us alive.

The fast-acting control system of the body that responds to internal and external changes by activating muscles and glands.

The system that secretes hormones that regulate growth, reproduction, and metabolism.

The system that transports blood, carrying oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, and waste products.

The system that picks up fluid leaked from blood vessels, returns it to blood, disposes of debris, and houses white blood cells for immunity.

The system that keeps blood constantly supplied with oxygen and removes carbon dioxide through the lungs.

The system that breaks down food into absorbable units that enter the blood, and eliminates indigestible waste.

The temperature at which your body functions optimally, around 37 degrees Celsius.

The activities promoted by the muscular system, allowing movement and manipulation of the environment.