Structure Fits Function
Have you ever wondered how your body moves, or how you send signals to do certain things? Well, your body sends signals through neurons. Neurons look like this. A neuron has dendrites on both sides and an axon in the middle. The neuron will get a signal through one dendrite on one side and that signal will travel through the axon and onto its other dendrite. This dendrite will send a chemical signal to another neuron. The neuron’s shape is important because the dendrites reach out to other neurons and send messages that go to the brain. They have long feelers that can send chemical signals to other neurons using synapse as a space in between each neuron. If dendrites were short and didn’t have those long feelers, they couldn’t send signals to anything. Then the brain wouldn’t get any signals, which means you would not be able to move, touch, smell, hear, or even pump blood. You would basically die within the first couple of minutes. Even 1 minute is a stretch because you wouldn’t be able to breath. It is important to have a space in between each neuron, and that is one of the most unique things about the structure. This structure allows for certain feelings or senses to go to the brain and others to be blocked by medicine. Like painkillers, they block off pain by clogging up the space in between neurons to stop the signal of pain.
Unique things about a neuron
- They have dendrites that reach out to other neurons send signals to the brain. Their shape helps them with this because their feelers help them interact with other cells.
- They have a synapse which allows for medicine such as painkillers to block certain signals.
- They are able to interact with other cells and pass signals to other neurons.
- They can pick up signals from other neurons.
- Dendrites are everywhere in your body so they can reach any limb or any organ. They can also send signals up the spine as a sort of short cut.
This is my geometric pattern. I like this piece because of the colors I choose and the shapes. Something I would change about this piece is my cuts. I think they could have be sharper and cleaner.
This is my illuminated letter. I really like the outcome of this piece because I took my time with the draft and it looks good.
This is one of my creative writing pieces that I am proud of. I am proud of it because it is one of the more descriptive pieces I have done. I also haven’t finished the story. I would really like to finish writing it so I can see where the story goes. I also like the characters I made.
November 30, 2015
It is a cold winter day. The sky is gray. The ground was capped in a sheet of thick ice. It is the coldest winter Alaska had ever seen. As I walked out of the door a puff of breath leaves my mouth. I walked over to the bus stop and waited for Olive. Olive has been my best friend since we were in preschool. She is the smartest girl in school and the winner of multiple spelling bees. She has ginger hair and huge glasses that are too big for her face. She wears button down shirts with sweaters layered over. She wears navy blue skirts that reach her knees and black shoes. She is plain but she is my best friend. When Olive arrives bags that are as black as coal hang from her eyes. She looks like she got no sleep last night.
“Why are you so tired?” I ask as she approaches.
“I was studying for the test,” Olive mumbled. Test? I don’t remember a test.
“The biology test,” Olive said “The one assigned by Ms. Wikies.”
Ms. Wikies is the meanest teacher in the school. She has pale skin and jet black hair. Her hair is always slicked back into a low pony which comes down to her shoulders. She wears black dresses and black shoes. There is nothing else to describe. Some kids say she is a witch others say she is a vampire. She has never missed a day teaching at Hillview School. She once broke her leg and came in with a fresh cast. If I failed this test I’ll be in a lot of trouble. We got on the bus and I stared at my notebook until my eyes hurt. Stepping out of the warm bus into the cold air waked me from my trance of study. When we walked into the building the feeling of chatter and Monday mornings hit my face. Olive and I rush to our lockers and put our books away. Today is a usual Monday morning. Down the hall number 1 bully, Corey Ganson, picks on Dylan Rodriguez, who apparently owes him lunch money.
