Body Basics

• About Body Basics

  Remember the biology class you had in high school? Well, maybe you don’t or maybe now that you have a child, your interest in how the body works has grown.

• Blood

  Here are the basics about the life-sustaining fluid called blood.

• Blood Types

  Categorizing blood according to type helps prevent reactions when someone gets a blood transfusion. Find out how blood types work.

• Bones, Muscles, and Joints

  Without bones, muscles, and joints, we couldn’t stand, walk, run, or even sit. The musculoskeletal system supports our bodies, protects our organs from injury, and enables movement.

• Central Nervous System: The Brain and Spinal Cord

  The brain and spinal cord make up the central nervous system. Find out how they work together to control everything we do.

• Digestive System

  The digestive process starts even before the first bite of food. Find out more about the digestive system and how our bodies break down and absorb the food we eat.

• Ears

  Hearing may be the ears’ main job, but it’s not all they do. Learn all about the ears in this Body Basics article.

• Endocrine System

  The glands of the endocrine system and the hormones they release affect almost every cell, organ, and function of our bodies.

• Enzymes

  Enzymes speed up chemical reactions in our bodies. They’re essential to digestion, blood clotting, and growth, and do many other important things.

• Eyes

  The eyes are small compared with most of the body’s other organs, but their structure is incredibly complex. Learn more about eyes, vision, and common problems with both.