If an adult human suffered a traumatic injury, could their notochord be damaged?

Question

A.  Yes; because the notochord is deep within the body only a severe injury could damage it.
B.  No; the notochord is encased in bone and it not susceptible to damage.
C.  Yes; damage to the notochord often results in paralysis.
D.  No; adult humans do not have a notochord.

Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
· What type of thinking is required?

Gather Content
· What do you already know about the notochord?

Choose Answer
· Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?

Reflect on Process
· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?

Answer 1

D.  No; adult humans do not have a notochord.

Clarify Question
· What is the key concept addressed by the question?
        o This question addresses the notochord.
· What type of thinking is required?
        o This question is asking you to weigh and judge evidence, or evaluate, to choose the best of the possible answers.

Gather Content
· What do you already know about the notochord?
        o One of the features that characterizes the chordates is the notochord.
        o The notochord is a flexible rod that forms on the dorsal side of the primitive gut in the early embryo and is present at some developmental stage in all chordates. The notochord is located just below the nerve cord. The notochord may persist in some chordates; in others it is replaced during embryonic development by the vertebral column that forms around the nerve cord.
        o During development of the vertebra, the flexible notochord is surrounded and eventually replaced by a cartilaginous or bony covering, the centrum. The neural tube is protected by an arch above the centrum. The vertebral column functions as a strong, flexible rod that the muscles pull against when the animal swims or moves.

Choose Answer
· Given what you now know, what information and/or problem solving approach is most likely to produce the correct answer?
        o Adult humans do not have a notochord. It is replaced by the vertebral column during embryonic development.

Reflect on Process
· Did your problem-solving process lead you to the correct answer? If not, where did the process break down or lead you astray? How can you revise your approach to produce a more desirable result?
        o The question required you to weigh and judge evidence, or evaluate, to choose the best of the possible answers.
        o Did you recognize that in humans, the notochord is a feature only of the developing embryo?