Chapter 2 You willlearn:

" To describe the structure of the hunan

excretory (renal) system
Producing urine " To describe howthe kidneys filter blood to
remove urea, which is excreted in urine
" To describe examples where scientific
understanding has been improved by the
unexpected outcomes ofof scientific e
enquiries
" To identify hazards and identify ways to
minimise risks
manne.
" To carry out practical Work in asafe
minimise risks
To interpret results and form conclusions ur
scientific knowledge and understanding
" To describe the uses, strengths and limitatic
of models and analogies

Starting point
You should know that...
Humans have organ systems
Organisms carry out seven life processes
(including excretion)
You should be able to..
ldentify the use of analogies as models
ldentify hazards and suggest ways to
reduce risks
Use results to make conclusions

Excretion

Excretion is when an organism gets rid of waste substances

that it has made inside its cells. Excretion is one of the seven Key terms
life processes that all living organisms do. excretion: getting rid
For example, plants excrete oxygen(which is produced by of wastesthat are mac
photosynthesis). Animals excrete carbon dioxide (which is inside an organism.
produced by respiration).
kidney: an organ
Qur lungs excrete carbon dioxide, but our kidneys excrete that removes waste
most of the other wastes that our bodies make. substances from the
1 List the seven life processes.
blood.

What substance is excreted by your lungs?

3 Undigested food passes out of your digestive system

as faeces. Explain why this process is not an example
of excretion.
 Key terms
Blood vessels carry bladder.organ that
kidneys
blood to the cleaned
and take the stores urine.
from the
blood away blood vessels:tube
kidneys.
that carry
shaped organs
cleans the the body.
Each kidney
removing waste blood around
blood by and producing
substances excretory system:organ
urine system that renmoves
blood
wastes from the
are tubes
that and produces urine.
The ureters
the bladder.
carry urine to
organ system: group of
organs working together.
stores urine.
The bladder
the bottom renal system: another
muscle at
A
bladder keeps the excretory
of the the person name for the
urine in until
wants to urinate. system.
ureter: tube-shaped
tube that urine
The urethra is a
out of the organ that carries
from akidney to the
carries urine
body.
excretory (renal) system. bladder.
2.1The human
urethra: tube-shaped
urine
The excretory system organ that carries
is from the bladder
to
organ systems. One of these
system.
many
Your body contains which is also called the renal making outside of the body.
system, by
theexcretory remove wastes from your blood urinate: to release urine
Its function is to excretory system are shown in from the bladder.
the
urine. The organs in urea: main waste
figure 2.1. This
that the kidneys remove is urea. substance removed from
The main waste down proteins.
your body breaks
substance ismade when your blood can damage other the blood bythe kidneys.
Having too much urea in body, such as your liver and heart. urine: liquid containing
important organs in your ureaand other
wastes.
body passes through your kidneys
in your
Allthe bloodminutes. blood is
Inside the kidneys, the
every 30-40 but the
inside blood vesselscollected.
filtered. The blood cells stay
are
some water pass out of them and
urea and
urine, which then flows into the bladder along a
Thisforms
tube called a ureter.
stores the urine. It expands as it fills, a bit like
The bladder When a person decides to
balloon filling with air.
a party the body alonganother
urinate, the urine passes out of
tube called the urethra.
excretory system.
4 List all the organs in the human
system.
5 Give another term for the excretory
27
 kidneys filter
that your
6 Explain why it isimportant
your blood.
the last paragraph above.
used in
7 An analogy is that has been used.
the analogy
a) Write down
unfiltered Pumpl
which the analogy is good and
in
b) Give one way
water

one way in which it is poor. in

that it is like the filter in a filter

for a kidney is remove
filter is used to water
media
8 An analogy
aquarium. An aquarium
keep the
tish
materialsfrom the water to
waste
clean and the fish healthy. aquarium filter.
Describe how the kidney is like an
a) good and 2.2 Aquarium filter
inwhich the analogy is
b) Give one way poor.
one way in which it is

Kidney problems
of some
shows the approximate concentrations
The table and in urine.
substances in blood plasma
In blood In urine
plasma (g/100 cm)
Substance (g/100 cm³)
7
Protein 2
0.03
Urea 0.5
1
Other substances

kidneys do not work very well

Sometimes, a person'sdisease. People with kidney disease
inside
because they have a their urine because the filters
often have proteins
in doctors test urine for
kidney have been damaged. So, kidney disease.
the a patient has
protein if they suspect kidneys:
the
the name of one substance that
9 Give
from the blood
a) remnove blood.
do not remnove from the
b)
of urea you would expect to find
10
Calculate the mass
in 1litre of
urine.
most of its mass.
Name the substance that gives urine
11
concentrated is the urea in
12
How many times more plasma?
urine than in blood
 Detectingkidneydisease kidney disease?
Activity2.1: people with disease. Think about
identify kidney has
couldyou test urine to find out if a person
How urine to 2.
experimentto test tests in Stage 8 Chapter
Plan an learnt about food
what you experiment.
plan for your usingdifferent
A1 Write a assessment for your experiment. your plan
carry out
A2 Write arisk checked by ateacher,
your plan has been your results in a table. with kidney
disease.
A3 After record someone
samples of urine and sample was from your
conclusion about which urine
investigation and suggest how
A4 Make a discovered in your
ideas with others in group and
what you have Discuss your
A5 Think aboutcould be further investigated.you could do.
conclusion investigation that
agree on one further
Making links
dialysis
Science in context: Kidney have
In Stage 7you mayUrea
Thomas Graham was trying
scientist
In the 1850s, Scottish a very thin sheet of material to act learned about pH.
using dissolved in water forms
to invent a way of One of the things he tried to filter was but
as avery fine filter. was able to extract urea. Working aneutral solution
urine, from which he allthe other substances
Richard Bright, an English doctor, the two menfilter in urine mean that
the
with method could be used to
realised that this filtering pH of urine varies from
of people whose kidneys were not working.
the blood about pH 5 to pH 8.
2 million people worldwide receive this Describe how a doctor
Today, around
dialysis. People with
sort of treatment, which is called can find out the pH of a
kidneys that are not working hours usually have dialysis three person's urine.
each time. Blood
times a week, for about four dialysis
vessels in their arms are connected up to a fine set of
a
machine, which pumps their blood through
filters and removes the urea.