Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Skeleton #2


Did you know that you shed your skeleton every ten years? Which means, next year, I'll be on my second. Weird.

Also, I still have yet to feel comfortable viewing cadavers in Anatomy lab. Yesterday, I got slightly queasy while my group was studying a cadaver in supine position (face up). Not to sound disrespectful...but it kind of feels like I'm in the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. It's definitely going to take some more getting used to.

4 comments:

pbarker said...

how the fuck do you shed a skeleton?

Murr Nation said...

wouldnt you start with one, shed to number 2 at age ten, and then to 3 at age 20? I dont really know the rules though...

PHSChemGuy said...

I had no clue that Casper had a blog. Good to know.

And I agree with the question how the F do you shed a skeleton?Do you mean that enough cells die and are replaced in about ten years to say that we've grown a fully new skeleton?

And I think Murravener's right...you'd be heading to skeleton #3 at this point if that's true, 'cause you're born with one.

Lee said...

PBeezy - I think (but don't know for sure because Anatomy class doubles as nap time for me) that it's a process called bone resorption. Your bone is broken down by these osteoclast guys and then it's rebuilt. Shedding is a weird word.

Murravener and Chem Guy - I just looked it up and, in the first year of your life, your entire skeleton is replaced. So actually I'm on skeleton #4.

At birth, that's #1. From 0-1 years, that's #2. From 1-10, that's #3. And from 10-20, that's #4.

I'm confused now.