Long ago, the pituitary gland was nicknamed the "master gland" of the endocrine system. Based on what you have learned from this section, provide an argument for why this nickname is undeserved or at least less deserved
What will be an ideal response?
Before the role of the hypothalamus was more fully understood, the fact that most pituitary gland hormones control secretions of other endocrine glands certainly did make the pituitary gland seem like the controlling force behind the endocrine system. We now know that the pituitary does very little on its own without direction from the hypothalamus. The larger role for the hypothalamus makes sense when we consider its position as a receiving station for a great deal of input from the nervous system. The hypothalamus is therefore in a good position to direct responses to that input using the endocrine system. Finally, in addition to directing the actions of the anterior pituitary through its own hormones, the hypothalamus also makes the hormones that are actually released from the posterior pituitary (and controls the timing of their release as well).
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To determine the dietary habits of dinosaurs, their _____ can be analyzed for the presence of undigested plant material
or bones.
a. coprolites b. eggs c. fossilized body parts d. footprints e. soft body parts
_____ are densely staining, highly compacted, and transcriptionally inactive regions of chromatin
a. Homochromatin b. Heterochromatin c. Histone-dependent chromatin d. Primary chromatin e. Euchromatin
Which of the following applications of biotechnology results in an insect-resistant plant?
A) Banana-based vaccine against pathogenic Escherichia coli B) Insulin production by bacteria C) Bt toxin production by soybeans D) Growth-hormone-treated cows E) Herbicide-resistant corn
What is the metabolic abnormality that underlies the characteristic symptoms of diabetes mellitus?
A) a failure of the kidney tubules to reabsorb enough glucose from the urine B) an inability of the body's cells to switch from glucose metabolism to fat metabolism between meals C) an inability of the body's cells to retain glucose they have absorbed from the blood D) an inability of the body's cells to absorb enough glucose from the blood