Biology: Matters of the Heart
When you tutor Biology 12, you need to discuss the heart. As is commonly known, the heart is a muscular pump. Its beat pushes the blood through the vessels to every part of the body. The human heart has two …
Category: nursing
Math: Fun with Calories
Tutoring math, you’re often asked about real-world uses of it. Here’s an application we might all find useful now and again. Recently it occurred to me to look up the calorie density of proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. My reasoning was …
Biology: Arteries vs Veins
When you tutor Biology 12, you cover the circulatory system. Pretty much everyone knows arteries and veins are different. However, we’ll focus on their similarities first: 1) They both contain a reinforcing layer of smooth muscle. 2) For both veins …
Biology: Your friend bile
Tutoring Biology 12, you cover human digestion – which mentions bile. Bile is an oft-referred-to secretion: in literature, it’s related to anger. Specifically, if someone’s “bile is up”, they’re in a bad mood. I don’t understand the association, but there …
Biology: Carbohydrates
When you tutor Biology 12, which is needed for nursing, you need to define sugars and carbohydrates. Put simply, a carbohydrate is a compound consisting only of carbon, hydrogen, and oxygen. The ratio between the three is roughly 1:2:1. “Hydrate” …
Blood Sugar Control: The Pancreas, Insulin and Glucagon
Tutoring Biology 12, you talk about the hormones insulin and glucagon, which are used to control blood sugar. Insulin is much more widely spoken of than glucagon, but in fact they are opposite sides of the blood sugar equation. Your body …
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Biology: functions of water in the human body
Tutoring biology 12, the six (or so) functions of water in the human body comprise an early theme. Everyone knows water is important in the human body, but what are the precise reasons? 1. Water is liquid at body temperature. This …
Recombinant DNA
Tutoring Biology 12, you sometimes talk about recombinant DNA. We’ll briefly look at what it is and why it’s used. Recombinant DNA (rDNA) contains DNA from more than one organism. The industrial uses I know of involve inserting specific genes from one species into …
Dependent Variable, Independent Variable, Test and Control
When tutoring Biology 12, terms involved in the scientific method need definition. Let’s look at some. In an experiment, there is one variable whose value you must wait to see, and (at least) one that you purposely set. The variable you …
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Chlamydia and Gonorrhea: infertility risks
Most people have probably heard of chlamydia and gonorrhea. They are both bacterial STDs. Since neither is life-threatening (as far as I’ve ever heard), they don’t get as much attention as AIDS or syphilis. A risk with both chlamydia and gonorrhea …