week 5 - special senses

Question 1

palpebral fissure

Answer 1

The palpebral fissure is the opening between your upper and lower eyelids. It’s the space you see when you look at someone’s eyes and where their eyelids don’t touch. It’s the area that allows your eyes to open and close.

Question 2

lateral commissure

Answer 2

The lateral commissure is the outer corner where your upper and lower eyelids meet. It’s the point on the side of your eye, near your temples, where the eyelids come together when your eyes are open.

Question 3

medial commissure

Answer 3

The medial commissure is the inner corner of your eye, where the upper and lower eyelids meet near your nose. It’s the point on the side of your nose where your eyelids come together when your eyes are open.

Question 4

lacrimal caruncle

Answer 4

The lacrimal caruncle is the small, pinkish bump in the inner corner of your eye, near the nose. It contains oil and sweat glands and helps with tear production, keeping your eyes moist and clean.

Question 5

sclera

Answer 5

The sclera is the white part of your eye. It’s the tough, outer layer that helps protect and shape the eyeball. It acts like a sturdy outer shell to keep everything inside your eye safe.

Question 6

pupil

Answer 6

The pupil is the black circular opening in the center of your eye. It controls how much light enters your eye by getting bigger or smaller, depending on the light around you. This helps you see clearly in different lighting conditions.

Question 7

fibrous layer

Answer 7

The fibrous layer is the outermost layer of the eye, made up of the sclera (the white part) and the cornea (the clear, front part of the eye). This layer provides structure and protection for the eye, like a tough shell that helps maintain its shape.

Question 8

vascular layer

Answer 8

The vascular layer of the eye, also called the uvea, is the middle layer. It includes three parts: the iris (the colored part of your eye), the ciliary body (which helps control the shape of the lens for focusing), and the choroid (a layer full of blood vessels that supplies nutrients to the eye). This layer helps nourish the eye and controls things like light entering the eye.

Question 9

inner layer

Answer 9

The inner layer of the eye is called the retina. It’s the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye that acts like a camera sensor. It captures images and sends them to the brain through the optic nerve, allowing you to see.

Question 10

blindspot

Answer 10

The blind spot is the small area in your eye where the optic nerve connects to the retina. There’s no light-sensitive tissue in this spot, so you can’t see anything there. However, your brain fills in the gap, so you don’t notice it when you look around.

Question 11

anterior pole

Answer 11

The anterior pole is the frontmost point of the eye. It’s located at the very center of the cornea, which is the clear part at the front of the eye. This is the area that faces outward, where light first enters the eye.

Question 12

posterior pole

Answer 12

The posterior pole is the backmost point of the eye. It’s located at the center of the retina, which is the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye. This is where images are focused and sent to the brain for processing.

Question 13

cornea

Answer 13

The cornea is the clear, dome-shaped surface at the front of your eye. It helps focus light as it enters the eye and provides most of the eye’s ability to see clearly. The cornea also protects the eye from dust and germs.

Question 14

iris

Answer 14

The iris is the colored part of your eye. It controls the size of the pupil and regulates how much light enters the eye. The iris helps you see better in different lighting by adjusting the pupil’s size.

Question 15

ciliary body

Answer 15

The ciliary body is a part of the eye that sits behind the iris. It has two main jobs: it produces the fluid that keeps your eye moist and nourished, and it controls the shape of the lens to help you focus on things near or far.

Question 16

ciliary zonule

Answer 16

The ciliary zonule is a set of tiny fibers that connect the ciliary body to the lens of your eye. These fibers help hold the lens in place and allow the ciliary body to change its shape, helping your eye focus on objects at different distances.

Question 17

macula lutea

Answer 17

The macula lutea is a small, yellowish spot in the center of the retina at the back of the eye. It is responsible for sharp, central vision, allowing you to see fine details, like reading or recognizing faces. The central part of the macula is called the fovea, which gives you the clearest vision.

Question 18

rods

Answer 18

Rods are a type of cell in the retina of your eye that help you see in low light or at night. They don’t detect color, but they are really good at detecting light and helping you see shapes and movement when it’s dark.

Question 19

cones

Answer 19

Cones are cells in the retina of your eye that help you see color and fine details, especially in bright light. They are responsible for sharp, clear vision and allow you to see different colors like red, green, and blue.

Question 20

bipolar cell

Answer 20

A bipolar cell is a type of nerve cell in the retina that acts like a bridge. It takes signals from the light-detecting cells (rods and cones) and sends them to other cells in the retina, which then pass the information to the brain so you can see.

Question 21

ganglion cell

Answer 21

A ganglion cell is a type of nerve cell in the retina that collects visual information from other cells, like bipolar cells. It then sends this information as electrical signals through the optic nerve to the brain, allowing you to see.

Question 22

rhodopsin

Answer 22

Rhodopsin is a special protein found in the rods of your retina. It helps your eyes see in low light by reacting to light and sending signals to the brain. When light hits rhodopsin, it helps trigger the process that allows you to detect shapes and movement in dim lighting.

Question 23

retinal

Answer 23

Retinal is a molecule found in the retina of your eye. It works with rhodopsin (in the rods) to help detect light. When light hits retinal, it changes shape and sends a signal to the brain, allowing you to see. It plays a key role in both color and low-light vision.

Question 24

emmetropic eye

Answer 24

An emmetropic eye is a perfectly healthy, normal eye that can focus light directly onto the retina, allowing you to see clearly at all distances without needing glasses or contact lenses. It’s the ideal or “perfect” vision.

Question 25

myopic eye

Answer 25

A myopic eye, or nearsighted eye, is an eye that has trouble seeing distant objects clearly. In a myopic eye, light is focused in front of the retina instead of directly on it, making faraway things appear blurry, while nearby objects are clear. This condition is usually corrected with glasses or contact lenses.

Question 26

hyperopic eye

Answer 26

A hyperopic eye, or farsighted eye, is an eye that has difficulty seeing nearby objects clearly. In a hyperopic eye, light is focused behind the retina instead of directly on it, making close-up things appear blurry. This condition is usually corrected with glasses or contact lenses.

Question 27

olfactory epithelium

Answer 27

The olfactory epithelium is a special layer of tissue inside your nose that contains cells responsible for detecting smells. When you breathe in, these cells pick up odor molecules and send signals to your brain, allowing you to identify different scents.

Question 28

taste bud

Answer 28

A taste bud is a tiny structure on your tongue that helps you taste food. Each taste bud contains special cells that can detect the five basic tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (savory). When food touches these cells, they send signals to your brain, allowing you to experience flavor.

Question 29

5 flavours

Answer 29

sweet, salty, sour, bitter, and umami (savory)

Question 30

external auditory canal

Answer 30

The external auditory canal is the tube-like passage in your ear that carries sound from the outside world to the eardrum. It’s the part of your ear you can see, and it helps direct sound waves to the inner parts of your ear, where they are processed.

Question 31

lobule

Answer 31

The lobule is the soft, lower part of your ear, commonly known as the earlobe. It's the fleshy, rounded area that hangs down, and it doesn't have cartilage, unlike the rest of the ear. It's mostly made of skin and fat.

Question 32

tympanic membrane

Answer 32

The tympanic membrane, also known as the eardrum, is a thin, flexible membrane in your ear that vibrates when sound waves hit it. These vibrations are then passed on to the tiny bones in the middle ear, which help you hear.

Question 33

malleus

Answer 33

The malleus, also known as the "hammer," is one of the tiny bones in the middle ear. It is attached to the eardrum (tympanic membrane) and helps transmit sound vibrations from the eardrum to the other bones in the middle ear, which then send the sound to the inner ear.

Question 34

incus

Answer 34

The incus, also known as the "anvil," is one of the three tiny bones in the middle ear. It sits between the malleus (hammer) and the stapes (stirrup). The incus helps transmit sound vibrations from the malleus to the stapes, which then sends the vibrations to the inner ear.

Question 35

stapes

Answer 35

The stapes, also known as the "stirrup," is the smallest bone in the human body and is located in the middle ear. It is the last of the three tiny bones (ossicles) in the ear, and it transmits sound vibrations from the incus to the inner ear, where the vibrations are turned into signals that the brain can interpret as sound

Question 36

cochlea

Answer 36

The cochlea is a spiral-shaped part of the inner ear that helps you hear. It turns sound vibrations into electrical signals, which are sent to the brain

Question 37

organ of corti

Answer 37

The organ of Corti is a tiny structure inside the cochlea of your inner ear. It contains hair cells that convert sound vibrations into electrical signals. These signals are then sent to the brain, allowing you to hear sounds. It’s like the "hearing center" of the ear.

Question 38

semicircular canals

Answer 38

The semicircular canals are three loop-shaped structures in your inner ear that help you maintain balance. They are filled with fluid and tiny hairs that detect head movements. When you move your head, the fluid in these canals shifts, and the hairs send signals to your brain to help you stay steady and oriented.

Question 39

otolith organs

Answer 39

The otolith organs are two structures in your inner ear (the utricle and saccule) that help you sense gravity and detect movement, like tilting your head or changes in position. They contain tiny crystals that move when you change position, which sends signals to your brain, helping you maintain balance and know which way you're oriented.