Skeletal System Lab Report
Skeletal System Lab Report
SkeletalSystemLabReport
BonenamescomefromLatin.TheseLatinwordssometimesdescribethestructure,
location,orfunctionofthebone.Bonenamesalsohavehistorybehindthem.Eachbonename
hasadifferenthistory.Iwillusethemaxilla,thevertebra,andthesacrumasexamples.The
maxillaisthenamefortheupperjaw.ThebonenameMaxillacomesfromtheLatinwordmala,
orcheek.ThisLatinwordwasfirstusedbytheRomans.Althoughnowthejawisdividedintothe
maxillaandthemandible,(maxillabeingtheupperjawandmandiblebeingthelowerjaw),the
maxillawasoriginallyusedbytheRomanstonametheupperjawandthelowerjaw.TheLatin
termvertebracamefromtheLatinwordvertowhichmeanstoturn.Thewordvertebra
meansajointorsomethingtobeturned.Weallknowthatavertebraspecifiesaboneonthe
spine.Therearemanyvertebrathatmakeupthespine.Butwhatsomemaynotknowisthatin
A.D.30,Celsiususedthetermvertebratoclassifyanyjointorboneonthespine.Sacrumisalso
aLatinword.Thistermmeanssacredorholy.InGreek,sacrummeansillustrious,glorious,
mighty,orgreat.Youmaybewondering,howdotheseLatinandGreekdefinitionshaveanything
todowiththesacrumbone?Afterdeath,allofthebonesdecay.Thesacrumisthelastofthese
bonestodecayandthebodywouldkindleonthedayofresurrection.Therefore,thesacrumis
holyandglorious.Itwasalsosaidthatthesacrumwasthemostimportantboneofthespine
whichanswersastowhythesacrumissomightyandgreat.
Figure1:Aboveisapictureofwhatwecalltodaythemaxilla.Themaxillaisaspecificnamefor
theupperjaw.Photoby:MadisonAnastasiades.
Figure2:Aboveisapictureofavertebrasectiononthespine.Photoby:MadisonAnastasiades
Figure3:Thesacrumisatriangularshapedboneatthebaseofthespine.Aboveisapictureof
thesacrum.Photoby:MadisonAnastasiades.
BoneHistologyImages
Figure4:Atrabecularboneslidewithadiposetissueandbonetrabeculaelabeledisshown
above.Screenshotofslidetakenfrom
http://www.lab.anhb.uwa.edu.au/mb140/corepages/bone/bone.htm
Figure5:Periosteumisalayerofdenseconnectivetissuethatsurroundsthebone.A
periosteumslideisshownabove.Screenshotofslidetakenfrom
http://www.lab.anhb.uwa.edu.au/mb140/corepages/bone/bone.htm
Figure6:Acompactboneslidewiththecaniculi,lacunae,andhaversioncanallabedisshown
above.Photoby:MadisonAnastasiades.
BoneMatrix
Bonematrixisthebonetissueinsidethecellsinabonethatconsistsofcollagenfibers,
groundsubstance,andinorganicbonesalts.Bonesfunctioninthingssuchasmovement,
structure,protection,andsoundtransduction.Inordertosuccesfullyperformtheseactions,
bonesgothroughtheprocessofresorption,whichiscarriedoutbyosteoclastsandformedby
osteoblasts.Aboneismadeupofcalcium,phosphate,waterandmatrix.Combiningcollagen
andmineralsisthebasisofnormalbonehomeostasis.Collagenmakesup90%ofthebone
matrixandisproducedwithinosteoblasts.Theprocessofchainsliningupandtwistingintotriple
helicesishowcollagenisformed.Theseropesthenlineupandcombinetogetherasfibers.The
fibersarepositionedintofibersandmineralsarefoundwithintheselayers.Aftertheboneis
finishedwiththeremodelingprocess,osteoblastsattachtogethertoformosteoclasts.Thebone
matrixindiseasedbonesarehavingtoolittleortoomuchcollagenorminerals.Thiscausesan
imbalanceintheboneresorptionprocesswhichishowmostbonediseasesarecaused.For
example,osteoporosisoccurswhenthereisanoverageofcollagenintheboneandalackof
minerals.Thisimbalanceofcollagenandmineralscausesthebonetobecomeflexibleandsoft.
Normal
VinegarSoakedBone
CookedBone
Characteristics
Mineralsaltlevelremains
normal.
Notpresent
Nodiseaseordisorders Collagenvasculardisease,
present
osteoporosis,rickets
Red/bloody,raw,semi
soft,semiflexible
Sameshapeandformofa
bone,flexible,yellow,soft,
moist
Highlevelofmineralsalt
present
Osteogenesisimperfecta
(Britlebonedisease)
Notflexible,hard,dry,
spongyboneisbritle
Figure7:Threeboneswereexaminedanormalbone,avinegarsoakedbone,andacooked
bone.Thecollagenmatrix,mineralsaltsmatrix,possiblediseaseordisorder,and
characteristicsofeachbonewererecordedandareshownabove.
Figure7:Thenormalbone,thevinegarsoakedbone,andthecookedbonethatwereanalyzedin
thepreviouslyshownchartareshownabove.Photoby:MadisonAnastasiades
BoneResearch
Miniaturizedsmartsensorsaregreatlyeffectiveandbeneficialtoournationtoday.But,
currentsensingdevicesareunabletodothethingsthattheseminiaturizedsmartsensorscan
do.Aresearchgroupdevelopedanewbiomimeticreceptorcoatingapproachtoaddressthis
flaw.Inthisnewapproach,theybindsmallmoleculartargetstogetherbymimickingthe
principlesofrecognitioninbiology.Theyusedthemolecularrecognitionelementsthattheyfound
todevelopmanydifferentnanocoatingsforcantileverandquartzcrystalmicrobalancesensing
platforms.Thesenanocoatingsallowedthemtoseemanydifferentmodesofdetection.They
thenstudiedthemolecularlevelbindingmechanismbetweentheTNTchemicalsandthe
indicatedpeptide.Concludingthisstudy,researchersdiscoveredasensitivebiomimetic
nanocoatingbycombiningTNTreceptorstoconjugatedpolydiacetylenepolymers.Bybinding
theeventsinTNTreceptorstoTNTmolecules,aSWNTFETwasderived.Inanotherstudy,
researchersanalyzedhowsomeanimalscanchangecolorsforvariousreasonsandhowtheir
bodyknowswhentodoso.Therearemultiplenanoandmicroscalecomponentsinsidethe
tissueofanimalsthatallowsthemtochangecolors.Thesecomponentsalsoletthebodyknow
whenandwhatcolortochangetoinordertocommunicatewithotheranimals,expressmood,
becomecamoflauge,orrespondtochangesintheenvironment.Thesensorsinsidethetissue
ofanimalsaredevelopedbybiomimeticstructuresandmechanisms.Structurallycolored
biomaterialsprovideanunderstandingofdevelopingcolorimetricsensors.Researchers
developedanovelbiomimeticcolorimetricsensingmaterial.Thefilmsthattheydevelopedcopy
thestructureofturkeyskin.Thescatteringofcollagennanostructurescausethemtobeblue.
Externalchemicalscausethephagematricestoswellorshrinkandchangecolor.Thecolor
changethatoccurshereismuchlikethecolorchangethatyouseeinaturkey.Atthispoint,
researcherswantedtoimprovetheselectivity.TheyperformedanexperimentwithTNT.With
theirresults,theyfoundPhagelitmuscolorimetricsensorscanbeusefultoidentifyharmful
toxicantsandpathogensinordertoprotecthumanhealthandnationalsecurity.
Figure8:Avisual
representationofanexperimentthathelpedresearchdiscovertheirconclusionsisshownabove.
FigureAisshowingaturkeychanginghisskincolorfromredtowhiteandblue.FigureBisa
histologicalsectionoftheturkeyskin.FigureCisatransmissionselectronmicrographofaligned
collagenfibersinthedermis.FigureDisarepresentationofahandhelddeviceandhomebuilt
softwareallowingustoseetargetmoleculesinaselectivesensitivematter.Screenshotof
imagefrom
http://leelab.berkeley.edu/research.php#top
ForensicCaseStudy
Bonescantellyouawidevarietyofcharacteristicsaboutaperson.Bysimplyjustlooking
atdifferentbones,youcantellthegenderofaperson,theirage,theirweight,iftheyareleftor
righthanded,andmanymoreaspectsoftheperson.Forexample,amysterybodywasonce
foundinaleadcoffin.Thebodyhadnoformofidentitypresentatthescene.Theinvestigatorson
thisscenedeterminedthegenderandageofthebodyfoundbyexaminingthebones.Gender
differentiationcanbedeterminedbyexaminingthepelvis.Inthepelvis,afemalesiliacbonesare
moreflared.Afemalepelviswillhaveawiderpubicarchinordertofunctionasthebirthcanal.
Thefemalepelvisisgenerallywideandbroad,whilethemalepelvisistallandmorecompact.
Also,theischiumbonesareclosertogetherinmaleswhichcausesthemalepelvistoconvert
frominlettooutlet.Thisresultsinthemaleinletbeingaheartshape,whilethefemaleinletis
moreofanovalshape.Byusingthisinformation,investigatorswereabletodeterminethatthe
genderofthismysterybodywasfemale.Theyalsowentintofurtherresearchanddetermined
theageofthiswoman.Bystudyingthefemur,youcandeterminetheageofanindividual.
Youngeradultshavefewerandlargerosteonsinthefemur.Olderadultshavesmallerosteons
andmoreosteonfragments.Anotherassistingfactorindeterminingageistheskull.Anadult
skullhaslittletonoremainingsuture.Allsuturesbegintocloseinmoreasageincreases.
Investigatorsonthemysterybodywereabletodeterminethatthiswomanwas60yearsofage.
Citations
1. BlueHistologySkeletalTissuesBone.(n.d.).RetrievedOctober22,2015.
2. http://shs2.westport.k12.ct.us/forensics/11forensic_anthropology/skeletal_analysis_work
sheet.htm#age
3. http://www.nature.com/nrd/journal/v11/n6/full/nrd3759.html
4. TheSeungWukLeeGroup.(n.d.).RetrievedOctober22,2015,from
http://leelab.berkeley.edu/index.php
5. http://teachhealthk12.uthscsa.edu/sites/teachhealthk12/files/activity/downloads/Bones%
20Teacher%20Name%20Cards%202C.pdf