Hank resists the urge to devour a slice of pizza so that he can walk you through the way we experience our major special senses. It all boils down to one thing: sensory cells translate chemical, electromagnetic, and mechanical stimuli into action potentials that our nervous system can make sense of. Today we're focusing on smell (olfaction) and taste (gustation), which are chemical senses that call on chemoreceptors. As usual, we'll begin with a quick look at how these things can go wrong.

Chapters:
Introduction: Anosmia
How Smell Works
Olfactory Epithelium
Olfactory Sensory Neurons
Glomerulus
How the Brain Processes Smell
How Taste Works
What Are Taste Buds (Taste Receptor Epithelial Cells)?
Types of Taste Receptor Epithelial Cells: Gustatory and Basal
How Different Tastants are Sensed
Review
Credits

In this episode of Crash Course Anatomy & Physiology, Hank gives you a brief history of histology and introduces you to the different types and functions of your body's tissues.

Chapters:
Introduction
Nervous, Muscle, Epithelial & Connective Tissues
History of Histology
Nervous Tissue Forms the Nervous System
Muscle Tissue Facilitates All Your Movements
Identifying Samples
Review
Credits

Today on Crash Course Anatomy & Physiology, Hank breaks down the parts and functions of one of your body's unsung heroes: your epithelial tissue.

Chapters:
Introduction
Proper Epithelium & Glandular Epithelium
We're All Just Tubes!
Cell Shapes: Squamous, Cuboidal, or Columnar
How Form Relates to Function
Layering: Simple or Stratified
Epithelial Cells: Apical & Basal Sides
Glandular Epithelial Tissue Forms Endocrine & Exocrine Glands
Review
Credits

On today's episode of Crash Course Anatomy & Physiology, Hank continues our exploration of tissues, with an introduction to your connective tissues.

Chapters:
Introduction
What is Connective Tissue?
Four Classes of Connective Tissue
What Makes Connective Tissues Different From Other Tissue Types?
The Extracellular Matrix
Types of Fibers
Connective Tissue Cells
How Marfan Syndrome Affects Connective Tissue
Review
Credits

Today Hank wraps up our look at connective tissues with a discussion of their various types. Also chicken.

Chapters:
Introduction: We're All Just Meat
Loose vs. Dense Connective Tissue Proper
Types of Loose Tissue Proper: Areolar, Adipose, and Reticular
Types of Dense Tissue Proper: Regular, Irregular, and Elastic
Types of Cartilage: Hyaline, Elastic, and Fibro
Types of Osseous (Bone) Tissue: Spongy and Compact
Blood is a Connective Tissue
Review
Credits

Even though you probably don't choose to spend a lot of time thinking about it, your pee is kind of a big deal. Today we're talking about the anatomy of your urinary system, and how your kidneys filter metabolic waste and balance salt and water concentrations in the blood. We'll cover how nephrons use glomerular filtration, tubular reabsorption, and tubular secretion to reabsorb water and nutrients back into the blood, and make urine with the leftovers.

Chapters:
Introduction: Urinary System
What Do Kidneys Do?
Urinary System Structure
Nephrons
Glomerular Filtration
Tubular Reabsorption
Tubular Secretion
Urine
Review

As we promised last week, we're not quite done talking about your pee yet. Today Hank explains how the urinary system regulates the production of urine, by maintaining a study glomerular flow rate. He'll also cover the anatomy of storing and excreting urine -- from the ureters to the urethra -- and the nervous system’s role in controlling the act of urination.

Chapters:
Introduction: Urination
Glomerular Filtration Rate
Antidiuretic Hormones (ADH)
The Bladder
The Urethra
Urination
The Nervous System's Role in Controlling Urination
Review

Next stop in our tour of your sensory systems? VISION. With a little help from an optical illusion, we take a look inside your eyes to try to figure out how your sense of vision works -- and how it can be tricked.

Chapters:
Introduction: Optical Illusions
How Does Light Work?
Structure of the Eye
Layers of the Eye: Fibrous, Vascular, and Inner Layers
The Retina
Rods and Cones
How do Optical Illusions Work?
Review
Credits