Structure · function · region · system · regulation

Anatomy & Physiology

Read the body as nested living structure: cells form tissues, tissues form organs, organs cooperate in systems, and those systems overlap in regions while regulating one another to keep the organism functioning.

Structural scale

The body is nested, but function runs across the nesting.

An organ belongs to a region, participates in one or more systems, contains several tissues, and depends on circulation, innervation, and regulation beyond its local boundaries. Anatomy locates the parts; physiology explains the changing relationships among them.

01Cellspecialized living unit
02Tissuecoordinated cells + matrix
03Organseveral tissues performing a local job
04Systemorgans coordinating a broader function
05Organismsystems regulating one another
Neighboring biological field
Comparative Anatomy

Study anatomical structure across organisms there. This medical branch centers the human body and clinically useful structure-function relationships.

open biology anatomy
Curriculum map

Enter the body through a functional system, while keeping the shared foundations visible.

Only the Skeletal System has a live child route right now. Planned systems remain visible because they clarify the intended anatomy curriculum, but they are deliberately non-clickable.

Foundations · planned
planned
epithelial · connective · muscle · nervous tissue

Cells & tissues

How do specialized cells assemble into tissues with distinct mechanical and physiological roles?

planned
sensor · integrator · effector · feedback

Homeostasis

How does the body keep internal variables within useful ranges while conditions change?

open
support · protection · leverage · mineral storage

Skeletal system

How do bones, cartilage, joints, and living bone tissue support the body while still permitting movement and adaptation?

open system
planned
force · posture · movement · heat

Muscular system

How does contractile tissue turn chemical energy into force across joints and organs?

planned
pump · vessels · pressure · transport

Cardiovascular system

How does a closed circulation distribute gases, nutrients, signals, heat, and waste across tissues?

planned
sensation · integration · rapid control

Nervous system

How do excitable cells detect change, communicate, and coordinate behavior across the body?

Regional anatomy scanner

A body region is a place where several systems meet.

region ≠ system
Selected region

Thorax

Systems crossing this region
CardiovascularRespiratoryLymphaticMusculoskeletalNervous
Structures to locate

Heart · lungs · great vessels · trachea · thoracic cage

The rib cage is skeletal, breathing uses muscles, gas exchange is respiratory, and transport is cardiovascular. One region hosts several coordinated systems.

Structure constrains function

Shape, material, geometry, and organization make some physiological actions possible and others difficult or impossible.

Systems overlap

A named system is an analytical grouping. Real tissues and organs are physically interwoven and physiologically interdependent.

The body changes with time

Development, activity, injury, disease, adaptation, repair, and aging continually modify both anatomy and physiology.