We've been talking about movement of blood a lot over the last few articles, so it's time we looked at blood itself in a bit more detail. But don't worry if like me you're a little squeamish because there will be no pictures of actual blood today. We will take a brief look at all... Continue Reading →
Blood Vessels – Exchange and Transport Ep 10
Getting blood around the body requires a network of blood vessels. These come in different shapes and sizes depending on their location and function. In this article we will look at the structure of arteries, veins, capillaries. Arteries Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to the tissues of the body (except the pulmonary... Continue Reading →
The Cardiac Cycle – Exchange and Transport Ep 9
The cardiac cycle is the sequence of contraction and relaxation that the heart goes through continuously to keep blood pumping around the body. It's fairly complicated, but broken down into steps it makes sense if you think about the direction blood travels through the heart. Two important words you need to know before we start... Continue Reading →
The Human Heart – Exchange and Transport Ep 8
So far in this series we've looked at how substances are exchanged across membranes, particularly oxygen and carbon dioxide in gas exchange systems. Today, we're going to start looking at how substances get transported around organisms, starting off by looking at the structure of the human heart. The Human Heart The heart is the key... Continue Reading →
