work

Examples of work in the following topics:

• The Work of Breathing

  • In either case, the ventilation remains the same, but the work done and type of work needed are quite different.
  • There are two types of work conducted during respiration: flow-resistive and elastic work.
  • Flow-resistive work refers to the work of the alveoli and tissues in the lung, whereas elastic work refers to the work of the intercostal muscles, chest wall, and diaphragm.
  • When the respiratory rate is increased, the flow-resistive work of the airways is increased and the elastic work of the muscles is decreased.
  • When the respiratory rate is decreased, the flow-resistive work is decreased and the elastic work is increased.

• Types of Energy

  • However, a still wrecking ball cannot perform any work and therefore has no kinetic energy.
  • Yes, the wrecking ball has energy because the wrecking ball has the potential to do work.
  • This form of energy is called potential energy because it is possible for that object to do work in a given state.
  • This type of potential energy is called chemical energy, and like all potential energy, it can be used to do work.
  • The potential energy stored within chemical bonds can be harnessed to perform work for biological processes.

• The First Law of Thermodynamics

  • Thermodynamics is the study of heat energy and other types of energy, such as work, and the various ways energy is transferred within chemical systems.
  • However, chemical reactions are often used to do work instead of just exchanging heat.
  • For instance, when rocket fuel burns and causes a space shuttle to lift off from the ground, the chemical reaction, by propelling the rocket, is doing work by applying a force over a distance.
  • Another useful form of the first law of thermodynamics relates heat and work for the change in energy of the internal system:
  • The powerful chemical reaction propelling the rocket lets off tremendous heat to the surroundings and does work on the surroundings (the rocket) as well.

• Publishing Scientific Work

  • For this reason, a major aspect of a scientist's work is communicating with peers and disseminating results to peers.
  • Scientists publish their work so other scientists can reproduce their experiments under similar or different conditions to expand on the findings.
  • A good introduction also gives the rationale and justification for the work.
  • The introduction refers to the published scientific work of others and, therefore, requires citations following the style of the journal.
  • Using the work or ideas of others without proper citation is considered plagiarism.

• Introduction to Mendelian Inheritance

  • While working with pea plants, Gregor Mendel noticed that offspring were similar to their parent plants, which led him to some of the earliest theories about genetics.
  • For his work, Mendel is often referred to as the "father of modern genetics. " Mendel selected a simple biological system, garden peas, and conducted methodical, quantitative analyses using large sample sizes.
  • Because of Mendel's work, the fundamental principles of heredity were revealed, which are often referred to as Mendel's Laws of Inheritance.
  • Mendel's work was the beginning of many of the advances in molecular biology over the years.

• How Hormones Work

• Branches and Subdisciplines of Biology

  • Biologists may pursue one of those subdisciplines and work in a more focused field.
  • Their work involves analyzing samples such as hair, blood, and other body fluids, including the processing of DNA found in many different environments and materials associated with the crime scenes .
  • This forensic scientist works in a DNA extraction room at the U.S.
  • Researchers work on excavating dinosaur fossils at a site in Castellón, Spain.

• Homeostatic Process

  • Homeostatic processes ensure a constant internal environment by various mechanisms working in combination to maintain set points.
  • The human organism consists of trillions of cells working together for the maintenance of the entire organism.
  • This ongoing process continually works to restore and maintain homeostasis.

• Discovery of DNA

  • In the 1950s, Francis Crick and James Watson worked together to determine the structure of DNA at the University of Cambridge, England.
  • Nobel prizes are not awarded posthumously, and though her work was crucial to the discovery of DNA, Franklin was never nominated for a Nobel Prize. 
  • The work of pioneering scientists James Watson, Francis Crick, and Maclyn McCarty (pictured at left) led to our present day understanding of DNA.
  • (credit a: modification of work by Marjorie McCarty, Public Library of Science)

• Integration of Signals from Mechanoreceptors

  • The many types of somatosensory receptors work together to ensure our ability to process the complexity of stimuli that are transmitted.
  • The configuration of the different types of receptors working in concert in the human skin results in a very refined sense of touch .