Regina Yamada Valley Karl Mamuyac

II-Compostela

Biology II: Circulatory Segment

Regina & Karl: Good Morning everyone! Regina: Im Regina, Karl: And Im Karl Both: And were here to share with you things we know that you too should know about the circulatory system, only here in Science Links! Regina: The circulatory system. What is that, Karl? Karl: The circulatory system is the one responsible for transporting materials like oxygen and nutrients to body at the same time removing wastes such as carbon dioxide. Regina: Ahh, I see. But how does this happen? Karl: Well first of all, there are 3 major parts of the circulatory system. First, the heart, which is very important because it is the organ that pumps blood and keeps the blood moving throughout the whole body. Regina: Oh, is this organ the one located at the center of the chest, slightly tilted to the left that I feel beating and that I hear the sounds lub dup? Karl: Yes, yes it is. It is beating because there are four chambers of the heart, the first two, the left and right atria, which is in charge of receiving blood and the other two, the left and right ventricle, which is in charge of pumping blood. The lub dup you say you hear is cause by the opening and closing of the valves in between these chambers. These valve prevent the back flow of blood. Regina: Ooohh Since the heart pumps blood all over the body, is it a huge organ? Because, you know, it has a lot of work to do. Karl: Oh, no. Its just the size of your fist! Regina: Really? Woah, thats so amazing. Karl: It truly is. And youll be more amazed with the next part of the circulatory system, the blood tissue, the river of life. The blood tissue is typically composed of the red blood cells, white blood cells, platelets and the plasma. The RBCs or erythrocytes are of course red in color due to haemoglobin pigments, and are responsible for carrying the oxygen and nutrients needed by the body. Regina: Oh, wait, I know the WBCs or the leucocytes. They are the soldiers of the body. They fight against the viruses, bacteria, fungi and parasites that might cause infection to us. Karl: Yes, youre right. But they only live for three days, unlike the RBCs which lives for 120 days. Regina: Ah, I see. Karl: Then come the platelets which are very important when you get wounds. They are the ones who helps stop bleeding by forming a clot to patch the broken vessel or tissue. Regina: Then the plasma which is the yellowish liquid part of the blood! Karl: Yes. Now, lets go to the blood vessels. The blood vessels are the highways of the body. It is where the blood tissue passes through. The oxygen rich blood passes through the arteries, the oxygen-poor blood passes through the veins.

And the exchange of gases happens in the capillaries which are connected to the arteries and veins. Regina: Ah, now that we know the major parts of the circulatory system, how do they work? Karl: Well, first of all, blood from the lungs that undergone gas exchanges now carries oxygen rich blood to the left atrium passing by the pulmonary vein. Then to the left ventricle. Blood from there is pumped to the aorta, going to smaller arteries and capillaries for exchange of gases with the body cells. From there, now the veins carries the oxygen-poor blood which now goes to the right atrium passing the superior and inferior vena cava. Then, from there, the blood goes to the right ventricle and the blood is pumped to the lungs for gas exchange again. And it goes on again and again, therefore called circulatory system. Regina: Woah. How awesome did God create us. Karl: Indeed. Regina: Since the blood goes throughout the whole body, how many blood circulates in our body?! Karl: Well, in average, there is about five to six liters of blood in our body. Regina: Ooh But, Karl, when speaking of the heart, I hear words such as heart rate. What is that all about? Karl: The heart rate is the number of beats your heart makes in a certain time. This can help identify whether youre physically healthy or not. The higher your resting heart rate, the less physically fit you are, and the lower your heart rate, the more physically fit you are. Regina: How can I identify this you say resting heart rate? Karl: Well, you first have to look for a pressure point, usually in your wrist or carotid artery in your neck. Then with a stop watch/timer, set it for a minute and just count your pulse. Regina: Oh, is there any shortcut for this? You know Karl: There certainly is. A shortcut to do instead of counting the heart beat/pulse for the whole 60 seconds is to count the number of beats in 10 seconds, and then to multiply that number by 6. This method gives you a 60-second count. Example: You count 7 beats in 10 seconds: 7 x 6 = 42 beats per minute. Regina: Uhm, Karl, approximately, what is the range of heart beats per minute? Karl: Well, a normal heart beats somewhere in between 60 and 100 beats per minute. Regina: I see. Karl: (Nods) Regina: How awesome we humans are. And how creative God is to be able to form us with these systems. Karl: Yes He truly is one genius God. ;) Regina: Well, I guess thats all for today, Karl. Karl: Yes it is. Again, Im Karl, Regina: And Im Regina. Both: Sharing with you people how fun science is, only here in Science Links! *The End*