The introductory plant and animal physiology class (BIO 162) is team-taught. There are about 200 students enrolled in the class which meets in the Performing Arts Center. Below, I enthrall the class with a fact about watercress.
During animal lectures, I try to come up with a few cartoons that tie in with the day’s topic. (Thanks to my colleagues, Dr. Jason Blank and Dr. Heather Liwanag for the inspiration.)
Sad but true–animals lose water through evaporation (from lungs and skin), and from their waste (especially urine).
Animal bodies change in response to their environment. For example, the number of red blood cells increases when a person moves to high altitude. When such changes occur in a lab, the process is called, “acclimation.” When it occurs in the animal’s natural habitat, we call it, “acclimatization.” This is a great example of physiologists trying to make life difficult for students 😀.
Mice and elephants are both mammals, but on different ends of the body-size spectrum. Students learn that a typical mouse cell “burns” food much faster than an elephant cell. An elephant eats less than a pile of mice that weighs the same as the elephant. Both make terrible pets.
New Yorker Cartoon
Exciting to have a cartoon in the March 28th issue of The New Yorker.