Did you know that your skin is just one big organ? Did you know that the thinnest point of your skin is your eyelids, and the thickest point is the bottom of your feet? And did you know that your skin is 16% of your body weight? Skin is incredible because of all the amazing things it does, and so that is what my blog is about today. Skin is the foundation of the integumentary system, which includes your nails and hair. If you stretched out all of your skin flat, it would be around 1.7 meters squared! Your skin is made up of three layers: the epidermis, dermis, and hypodermis.

For your sense of touch/feel skin relies on pressure sensitive merkel cells. In each square centimeter in your finger there are 750 merkel cells and around 2,500 receptors! Your skin protects you from unwanted bacteria and uses collagen to absorb shock. The epidermis is made up of keratinocytes, skin cells. Your skin is completely replaced every 4 weeks! The veins in your skin expand to release heat when you are hot, and contract to conserve heat when you are cold. When you are cold, muscles called arrector pili flex and straiten the hairs on your skin, which causes the skin around your hairs to bulge, hence the saying ‘goosebumps.’ 

In total, how many skin cells are on my body at any given time?

How many hairs are on my body?

How often do the hairs on my body fall off, and how many?

Source:

Ted Ed

This week in science we worked on our bacteria and virus projects. We simulated bacteria killing processes to find out which was the best. To do this we used this kind of powder (which simulates bacteria) that only shows up with a black light, and mixed that with lotion. We then tested whether washing your hands worked better than using hand sanitizer and whether cold water worked better than warm etc.. We timed ourselves and measured the amounts of soap/sanitizer used. I learned that using hot water and using soap works better than using cold/sanitizer. I also learned that you can never be too careful when washing your hands.

We also worked on our petri dish projects. We got in groups of three our four, then planned out what was to be swabbed and by who. Then we went home and boiled water to dip our cutips in (so that we could sterilize them). After that I swabbed my dog’s teeth, my shower floor, the bottom of my kitchen sink, and one of my plates. For our virus projects we had to make a wanted dead poster and a slideshow. We had to learn about a virus and pretend that we are that virus. Then we had to brag or whine about our job in the slideshow.

Why doesn’t sanitizer work as well as soap?

What is the dirtiest place in my house?

How many years did smallpox exist?

I usually go to Florida for thanksgiving, so that’s what I did this year. When we go to Florida we go to the zoo and go on a lot of outings. We have seen crocodiles, cranes, ibises, and many other native species when we go to the natural swamps. It is just incredible to see the wildlife there. We also go to a natural wildlife place where we can walk through swamps. There is a museum there where we can learn about the creatures that live there. We can learn about the manatees!

One time when I was in Florida, I did paddle board yoga with my mom. When we were on the water, manatees swam around us and let us pet them! The sad thing was, they all had big scars from when a boat had hit them. 

This thanksgiving, I got to see my great aunt Jane. She is 89 years old. Her gen was the silent gen. I hope one day I’ll learn what her life was like. 

How many manatees are in the world?

How many species are related to crocs?

What will people do to help the manatees?