Biology is designed for multi-semester biology courses for science majors. It is grounded on an evolutionary basis and includes exciting features that highlight careers in the biological sciences and everyday applications of the concepts at hand. To meet the needs of today’s instructors and students, some content has been strategically condensed while maintaining the overall scope and coverage of traditional texts for this course. Instructors can customize the book, adapting it to the approach that works best in their classroom. Biology also includes an innovative art program that incorporates critical thinking and clicker questions to help students understand—and apply—key concepts.

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Explain how the kidneys serve as the main osmoregulatory organs in mammalian systemsDescribe the structure of the kidneys and the functions of the parts of the kidneyDescribe how the nephron is the functional unit of the kidney and explain how it actively filters blood and generates urineDetail the three steps in the formation of urine: glomerular filtration, tubular reabsorption, and tubular secretion

By the end of this section, you will be able to:Describe the main function and basic structure of stemsCompare and contrast the roles of dermal tissue, vascular tissue, and ground tissueDistinguish between primary growth and secondary growth in stemsSummarize the origin of annual ringsList and describe examples of modified stems

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"The clinical practice of anesthesia is nearly two centuries old. But today, how anesthetics suppress consciousness remains a mystery. Specifically, how do molecular-level drug effects translate into macro-level phenomena? A recent review in the journal Anesthesiology looks at how brain slice studies are helping bridge that gap in neuroscience—with recent findings increasingly pointing to the cortex as a critical center of anesthetic action. Anesthesiologists have embraced the acute brain slice method for investigating anesthetic drug effects. Brain slices enable researchers to examine drug actions in isolated, locally connected networks under highly controlled but flexible conditions. Collectively, such studies suggest that both cortical and subcortical regions of the brain, such as the midbrain and thalamus, play important roles in anesthesia, each contributing to both the level of arousal and the content of consciousness..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This resource is a video abstract of a research paper created by Research Square on behalf of its authors. It provides a synopsis that's easy to understand, and can be used to introduce the topics it covers to students, researchers, and the general public. The video's transcript is also provided in full, with a portion provided below for preview:

"This tiny brain structure is known as the claustrum. For more than a hundred years, scientists have speculated about what exactly the claustrum does. But only recently has state-of-the-art biological technology allowed researchers to probe its anatomy and connections to the rest of the brain. Francis Crick—of DNA fame—and neuroscientist Christof Koch hypothesized the claustrum to be the seat of consciousness, a conductor of sorts, orchestrating the activity of neurons in charge of higher brain functions from deep within. Now, new research from the RIKEN Center for Brain Science in Japan appears to confirm that hypothesis. Only, instead of arousing neurons to action, the claustrum lulls them to sleep. The claustrum is both an appropriate and unfortunate name for this important part of the brain’s anatomy. Latin for “hidden or shut away,” the claustrum has long defied close examination due to its thin, irregular shape and placement deep within the brain..."

The rest of the transcript, along with a link to the research itself, is available on the resource itself.

This course considers molecular control of neural specification, formation of neuronal connections, construction of neural systems, and the contributions of experience to shaping brain structure and function. Topics include: neural induction and pattern formation, cell lineage and fate determination, neuronal migration, axon guidance, synapse formation and stabilization, activity-dependent development and critical periods, development of behavior.

In this lesson on the brain's neural networks, students investigate the structure and function of the neuron. They discover ways in which engineers apply this knowledge to the development of devices that can activate neurons. After a review of the nervous system specifically its organs, tissue, and specialized cells, called neurons students learn about the parts of the neuron. They explore the cell body, dendrites, axon and axon terminal, and learn how these structures enable neurons to send messages. They learn about the connections between engineering and other fields of study, and the importance of research, as they complete the lesson tasks.