Homeostasis
Project BackGround:
For the homeostasis project we were told to find one body function that is regulated by homeostasis and show how it's regulated. My group was Justin, Alex, Dean, and myself. We chose to do blood sugar. The project lasted about 3 weeks and we needed to do an actual test and make a poster showing our research. Blood sugar is regulated by hormones like insulin and glucogon. Insulin brings blood sugar down and glucogon brings it up. Homeostasis is basically a balancing act between too high and too low blood sugar levels. When you eat food, your blood sugar levels go up so your body releases insuin to bring levels back down.
Concepts and Def.
Homeostasis: The process of keeping stable internal conditions in the body
Blood Sugar: The amount of sugar in the blood stream
Insulin: Insulin is a hormone involved in blood sugar homeostasis. When the body detects that there is too much glucose (the sugar in blood sugar) in the bloodstream, insulin is released into the bloodstream. It then travels to the liver, where it slows the conversion of glycogen (the storage form of glucose) into glucose. This has the effect of lowering the blood sugar levels of the body
Glucagon: Glucagon is a hormone that performs the reverse function of insulin. When the body detects too little glucose in the bloodstream, glucagon is released. Once in the bloodstream, glucagon travels to the liver, where it accelerates the conversion of glycogen to glucose. This has the effect of heightening the amount of glucose in the bloodstream.
Overall, this project was fun to do because we were able to work with people we were friends with, creating a higher work ethic when it mattered most. Although we couldn't actually test people's blood sugar, we were still able to present with no problem whatsoever. This project helped realize exactly what our body does to maintain itself and how great it can be. This project was the best one so far this year.