Written by Jose Emmanuel Cisneros Reviewed by Dr. Reuben J C. Los Baños, Ph.D. The three types of cartilage in the body include elastic, hyaline, and fibrocartilage. These three tissues differ in their strength, body location, and extracellular matrix (ECM). Cartilage is a connective tissue denser than the blood but less dense than the bone. It has chondrocytes that produce extracellular matrix (ECM). It contributes to the growth of cells and tissues. These materials lie in spaces called lacunae housing eight chondrocytes each. This connective flesh in the body is flexible and avascular. Thus,… Read More

Written by Elisha Kristin Pasco Reviewed by Dr. Reuben J C. Los Baños, Ph.D. The cardiac muscles are also known as the myocardium. They make up the muscular middle layer of your heart and enable it to circulate the blood in your body. The myocardium is a muscle that you can only locate in your heart. Surrounding it is a thin outer layer called visceral pericardium or your epicardium. Your myocardium then covers the inner layer called the endocardium. The myocardium is responsible for the involuntary contraction and relaxation of your heart. It… Read More

Written by Naellah Yanca Marie P. Galve Reviewed by Dr. Reuben J C. Los Baños, Ph.D. The osteoblasts and osteoclasts are two types of cells found in the skeleton. The roles of osteoblasts and osteoclasts in skeletal maintenance are distinct. Osteoblasts are bone-builders, while osteoclasts are bone-eaters. While both take part in repair, they differ in managing their function. Osteoblasts are responsible for growth and development. In contrast, osteoclasts play a role in the resorption and degradation of bony tissue. Osteoblasts are uni-nucleated, cuboidal cells coming from the osteogenic cells in the periosteum…. Read More

Written by Ian Jay B. Francisco Reviewed by Dr. Reuben J C. Los Baños, Ph.D. Connective tissues occur throughout the body. They provide support, bind stuff together, and protect the body’s organs. Looking at a microscopic photo of connective tissues, you will see fibroblasts. Connective tissues consist of cells, protein fibers, and a ground substance. Fibroblasts are the most common cell type that you can find in a connective tissue specimen. They produce and maintain the extracellular matrix of your connective tissues. Fibroblasts secrete collagen proteins that support many tissues. They also help… Read More

Written by Glicy Lou D. Garinggo Reviewed by Dr. Reuben J C. Los Baños, Ph.D. No matter how complex your body is, it is only composed of four basic tissue types. These are epithelial, connective, muscular, and nervous tissue. They make up cells and molecules from the extracellular matrix, but they don’t exist on their own. They work together and in different amounts to form other organs and systems in the body. They are also critical cells because they help the body do its job. Epithelial tissues are polyhedral layers that are enclosed… Read More

Written by Ayessa G. Ibañez Reviewed by Dr. Reuben J C. Los Baños, Ph.D. Genetic material is the hereditary substance holding all information specific to an organism. DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the best example and most common. Although it is present in humans and almost all organisms, DNA is not the only genetic substance. Considering the definition mentioned, the genetic substance can be a gene, a part of a gene, and a group of genes. Genes are the functional units of inheritance. It contains the data needed to specify traits that pass from… Read More

Written by Nichole Isabelle J. Fidel Reviewed by Dr. Reuben J C. Los Baños, Ph.D. What are DNA and genes? You would often hear that parents pass on their traits and characteristics to their kids. Heredity is the term associated with the passing down of traits from parents to kids. Genetics studies how those traits pass down through the generation. You need to distinguish both terms to understand how heredity and genetics work. Functional units often make up complex units. For example, the gene is the primary and functional unit of heredity. Moreover,… Read More

Written by Josh Carl Vince B. Partosa Reviewed by Dr. Reuben J C. Los Baños, Ph.D. The human body consists of organs, each having specific functions. Cells are what make tissues, and tissues then form organs. Similarly, cells have organs of their own called organelles. An important organelle is ribosomes. It is important in the synthesis of protein, a molecule needed for growth and metabolism. The ribosomes produce protein for both inside and outside of the cell. Without these important structures, metabolism and growth would come to a halt. These structures assemble amino… Read More

Written by Jay Ryan L. Jacutin Reviewed by Dr. Reuben J C. Los Baños, Ph.D. Chromosomes are one feature of the eukaryotic cell residing within the nucleus. Its DNA in plants and animal cells is a thread-like structure compacted in a tight manner. The DNA floats across the cell. They comprise DNA wherein its structural support called histones coils the chromosomes. The derivation of the term chromosomes comes from the Greek word chroma (color) and soma (body). It is due to the staining of cell structures with colorful dyes. The binding of the… Read More

Written by Ysandra Prille A. Tabilon Reviewed by Dr. Reuben J C. Los Baños, Ph.D. Ribonucleic acid is one of the major biological macromolecules essential to life. It is a nucleic acid that is present in the majority of living organisms and viruses. It is famous for its role in synthesizing proteins in your body. It also replaces deoxyribonucleic acid as a carrier of genetic code in many viruses. A central dogma of molecular biology asserts that genetic code flows from DNA to RNA to proteins. It is Deoxyribonucleic acid that makes RNA,… Read More