BIOS252 Week 1 Muscular System (Lab Report)

Week 1 Muscular System Lab Learning Objectives:  Describe the major roles of muscle tissue  Demonstrate how muscle contraction and relaxation are linked to thermoregulation, digestion, circulation, and motor function.  Differentiate smooth, cardiac and skeletal muscle based on their microstructure.  Describe the general organization and structural components of a skeletal muscle.  Explain the principle of the sliding filament mechanism of skeletal muscle Introduction Did you know that you have more than 600 muscles in your body? Some of these muscles help to express your emotions through gesticulation and facial expressions, and the heart beats more than 3.3 billion times over 80 years! In this simulation, you will take a closer look at the three distinct muscle tissues we find in the human body and what purpose they serve. Your first task is to learn about the different types of muscle tissues found in the human body. Interact with the anatomical 3D holograms to explore the distribution and main functions of skeletal, smooth, and cardiac muscle tissues. Using the control panel to navigate the different models, you will collect information about the tissues to solve different scenarios related to the muscular system. Continue your investigation by examining the muscle tissues at the cellular level to see how the individual muscle cells of each muscle tissue compare to one another. Pick up the cellular 3D models and examine the nuclei, myofibrils, mitochondria and more to understand how the intracellular components enable each muscle cell to perform the functions characteristic for that muscle tissue. Follow the pathway that allows a nerve signal initiated in the brain to induce an actual muscle contraction in a skeletal muscle. Dive into the molecular level and see how the myofibrils are arranged in repeating units of sarcomeres. Compare a 3D model of a sarcomere to its electron micrograph and observe the changes that take place during contraction and relaxation. Finally, immerse yourself in the process of the sliding filament theory by interacting with the contractile proteins of a sarcomere.