Connect cells, tissues and organs to the body's coordinated functions: movement, sensing, circulation, breathing, digestion, regulation and development, with a foundation in health literacy.
Health & the Human Body Learning Map
Foundations
Beginning with the Living Body
What this chapter will buildDistinguish anatomy, physiology and health; relate a structure to what it does, and recognise the body as interacting living systems with variation between people and across circumstances.
Suggested preparation
Start here — no earlier chapter is needed.
Structure, Function and HealthPlanned
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Turning an Everyday Observation into a Body QuestionPlanned
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Why Body Systems Work TogetherPlanned
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Variation, Context and Changing FunctionPlanned
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Anatomy, Physiology and Related FieldsPlanned
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What this chapter will buildNavigate body regions and levels of organisation using simple anatomical language, and distinguish a diagram, a section and an observation of a particular person.
Suggested preparation
Regions and Anatomical LandmarksPlanned
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Anatomical Position and Direction WordsPlanned
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Planes, Sections and Three-Dimensional StructurePlanned
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Body Cavities and MembranesPlanned
Locate the major body cavities and their boundaries. Relate the pleura, pericardium and peritoneum to their organs, and distinguish the parietal and visceral layers of serous membranes.
Levels of Organisation, Diagrams and Individual VariationPlanned
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What this chapter will buildExplain how membranes, cell activities and tissue organisation support organs; introduce chemical and energy concepts through body examples without requiring a prior biology or chemistry course.
Suggested preparation
Molecules, Water and Ions in the BodyPlanned
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Membranes and Movement of SubstancesPlanned
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Organelles, Cell Work and Chemical EnergyPlanned
Introduce the nucleus, ribosomes, endoplasmic reticulum, Golgi apparatus, mitochondria, lysosomes and cytoskeleton through their roles in a cell. Connect cellular organisation, material processing and ATP use while comparing specialised cell structures.
DNA, RNA and Protein ProductionPlanned
Introduce genetic information, transcription, RNA roles and translation. Trace a simple DNA-to-RNA-to-protein example and connect regulated gene expression to cell function and specialisation.
Epithelial, Connective, Muscle and Nervous TissuesPlanned
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Extracellular Matrix and Connections between CellsPlanned
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Cell Division, Renewal and SpecialisationPlanned
Connect the cell cycle and mitosis with tissue renewal, cell loss and differentiation. Compare tissues with different renewal patterns and distinguish cell division from a cell changing its specialised function.
What this chapter will buildExplain the active regulation of internal conditions in an open living system; distinguish stabilising and amplifying feedback, changing regulated targets and limits of simple control-loop diagrams.
Suggested preparation
The Internal Environment and External ExchangePlanned
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Sensors, Signals and ResponsesPlanned
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Negative Feedback as a Stabilising ProcessPlanned
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Positive Feedback and Processes with an End PointPlanned
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Rhythms and Changing Regulated ValuesPlanned
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Dynamic Regulation Is Not an Unchanging EquilibriumPlanned
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What this chapter will buildIntroduce neural, hormonal and local signalling, and trace a simple coordinated response while keeping signalling, transport and mechanical action distinct.
Suggested preparation
Neural, Hormonal and Local SignalsPlanned
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Receptors and Specific ResponsesPlanned
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Signals Acting on Different Time ScalesPlanned
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Transporting a Substance and Sending a SignalPlanned
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A Worked Example: Coordinating a Temperature ResponsePlanned
Use supplied observations from a warm-environment example to trace temperature sensing, coordinated responses and heat exchange. Connect skin blood flow and sweating to feedback, then compare the expected pattern with observations and their conditions.
What this chapter will buildConnect oxygen, nutrients, water and waste exchange to cellular work; distinguish matter from energy and breathing from cellular respiration using a simple whole-body journey.
Suggested preparation
Matter and Energy Are DifferentPlanned
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The Journeys of Oxygen and NutrientsPlanned
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Breathing, Gas Exchange and Cellular RespirationPlanned
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Food as Materials and a Source of Chemical EnergyPlanned
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Water Exchange and Routes for Waste RemovalPlanned
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Energy Transfers, Body Work and HeatPlanned
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What this chapter will buildDistinguish what is observed, measured and inferred; evaluate understandable health information using sources, context and uncertainty, and recognise that a single measurement or a reference range does not establish an individual diagnosis.
Suggested preparation
Observed, Measured and InferredPlanned
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Units, Conditions and RepeatabilityPlanned
Interpret a supplied set of repeated body measurements by checking units, timing, method and surrounding conditions. Compare the recorded values, identify plausible sources of variation and formulate a useful next question.
Reference Ranges and Their ContextPlanned
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Finding and Appraising Trustworthy Health InformationPlanned
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Association, Proposed Mechanism and Supporting EvidencePlanned
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Clear Questions and Understanding an ExplanationPlanned
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