In this term paper, we are going to concentrate on just one internal and one external organs. Thus we can learn how they operate and some of their basic functions. Yet many of the attributes of these organs can be applicable to many other organs as well.
Everyone comes with multiple organs. From skin to livers, even our eyes, all these organs are necessary parts of a functioning human being. Animals also have organs, while plants maintain a more cellular perspective, not having what we would necessarily classify as organs.
The internal organ for our discussion is the liver. This organ is typically located below the diaphragm in most humans, or the upper right side of their abdomen. One of the primary functions of the liver is to assist in the detoxification of the body. The liver has the unique distinction of being the biggest internal organ, as opposed to our skin that is external, and also the biggest gland within the body.
It releases hormones that assist in digestion, as well as breaking down insulin and other necessary hormones as part of the body’s typical functions. Ducts within the liver allow it to deliver the end results of these various processes, including the production of bile.
Within the liver is the production of proteins, as well as in the metabolism of a variety of molecules. For example, the liver is pivotal in carbohydrate metabolism, turning glucose into glycogen. It also is responsible for synthesizing glucose when the body needs it, which is known as gluconeogenesis.
In order to do so, the liver needs to breakdown fat to get at the glycerol that is stored there. Essentially, the liver is a large factory, constantly bringing in and sending out materials according to the orders from the body. While it preforms multiple jobs, this is just one example of how the liver balances to the demands of the body, constantly making adjustments.
Additionally, the liver itself can be regrown. As a result, this is one of the few organs that can be transplanted from a living donor several times. Doctors are constantly studying this unique organ to better understand all the jobs it undertakes during a typical human lifecycle.
How can this translate to other organs? Similar to the liver, other organs perform specific duties based on the needs of the body. The brain itself is the command center of the body. It uses specific hormones as messengers to the rest of the organs, telling them when more energy is needed, when it is time to start general or specific repairs and even when to signal that we are hungry or thirsty. No matter what is going on in the body, there is an organ being called into play.
The largest of our external organs is the skin. This organ provides our bodies the first line of defense against potential invading viruses and bacteria. As with the cells, the skin is a gatekeeper. Still, skin can be damaged. Wounds are essentially breaches of the gatekeeper’s defenses. Scabs form from dried blood and other elements to create a patch in the skin’s defenses while on the cellular level, the skin goes to work repairing itself.
The skin is also in a constant state of regeneration. The oldest cells are found on the top of the skin. As these are scraped off during daily activities, newer skin cells emerge. The skin itself pushed older skin cells off as the newer skins cells are created below. It is similar to cars on a roller coaster, just before it crests the top hill. Each car goes over the top, pushed in some respects by the cars behind.
Both of these organs produce hormones, provide specific functions for the body and are also involved in cellular reproduction. Yet there are clearly specific functions that are only provided by a distinct organ. Examples include the eyes, stomach and kidneys. Each of these completes very specific functions.
The eyes are essentially a camera recording the world for the brain. The stomach is a critical part of the digestion process, rending food into a broken down form that allows the body to use the nutrients at the cellular level. Finally, the kidneys work in harmony with the liver to keep the body clear of toxics via a continuous process of filtering the blood.
Yet none of these organs can function without the others within the body. Essentially, the body is one working organism, a true sum of its parts. Biology is a constant study of how these parts work together. Starting at the cellular level, all the processes of life require a team effort. Nothing functions without another protein, organ or even another organism.
The interdependency of organisms with each other and their environment can have drastic consequences when the environment is altered in any way. Additionally, organisms themselves follow a specific pattern known as a lifecycle. So what is the typical lifecycle of most organisms, including plants and animals.