Professor Hallux has invented a new and improved skeleton – the Turbo Titan Skeletronoptic 5000.  It might look good but can it do all the jobs our bones do?  And anyway, what ARE the jobs our bones do?

From the top of your head to the tips of your toes, bones have a number of jobs to do beyond helping you grasp an item and walk.  Professor Hallux and Nurse Nanobot are investigating whether the Turbo Titan Skeletronoptic 5000 is better than the real thing, using an online ‘Physiology File‘

LOADING PHYSIOLOGY FILE

Job 1 – Support. Holding bodies upright.

Now the Professor thinks his Turbo Titan Skeletronoptic 5000 should ace this one – after all, metal is five times the strength of bone!

Job 2 – Protection.

Bones and the skeletal structures protect squishy bits in the body. For example, the rib cage protects the heart and lungs.  The Turbo Titan Skeletronoptic 5000 can also help protect these vital organs

Job 3 – Movement.

Bones and joints allow the body to move in all sorts of ways – and easily.  Sadly, the Professor’s Turbo Titan Skeletronoptic 5000 is a fail here – a metal skeleton would take a lot of energy to move around.

Job 4 – Storage.

Bones store important fats and minerals, including calcium. The Turbo Titan Skeletronoptic 5000 isn’t great at storing anything!  Although Nanobot has suggested that you could store a few bikes on it’s massive metal ribcage!

Job 5 – Production of Blood Cells

Blood cells are made in the bone marrow inside bones – white ones that help fight off unwelcome bacteria and viruses, and red ones that carrying oxygen through the body. Well, need one say any more?  Have you ever seen metal creating blood?  No?  A big failure for the Turbo Titan Skeletronoptic 5000.

Hallux’s fun facts about bones and the skeleton

• There are 206 bones in an adult person
• Bones are not merely supportive – they are highly productive machines churning out components for your blood
• The smallest bone in your body is the stapes bone, which is located in your ear. Without it, you could not hear!
• The main place calcium is stored in your body is in your bones.  An adult has approximately 2.4 pounds of calcium in their body.
• Bones are about 50% water.
• Your body needs sunlight to make vitamin D, which helps make bones.

Want to find out more about bones? Click here to Professor Hallux builds a Body

Physiology is fundamental! It not only helps us understand the jobs parts of the body have to do and how they do them.  It also means we can understand the effect other things have on bodies.
Join Professor Hallux as he looks at each part to see what fixes he can make to build a better body!

You can hear Hallux’s Physiology Fix-Up weekdays from 5pm on Fun Kids!

Listen back to any episodes you’ve missed below!

Hallux’s Physiology Fix-Up with support from The Physiological Society.

Click here to find out more!