Muscle
hideMuscle (from Latin musculus, diminutive of mus "mouse") is the contractile tissue of the body and is derived from the mesodermal layer of embryonic germ cells. Muscle cells contain contractile filaments that move past each other and change the size of the cell. They are classified as skeletal, cardiac, or smooth muscles. Their function is to produce force and cause motion. Muscles can cause either locomotion of the organism itself or movement of internal organs. Cardiac and smooth muscle contraction occurs without conscious thought and is necessary for survival. Examples are the contraction of the heart and peristalsis which pushes food through the digestive system. Voluntary contraction of the skeletal muscles is used to move the body and can be finely controlled. Examples are movements of the eye, or gross movements like the quadriceps muscle of the thigh. There are two broad types of voluntary muscle fibers: slow twitch and fast twitch. Slow twitch fibers contract for long periods of time but with little force while fast twitch fibers contract quickly and powerfully but fatigue very rapidly.
For more information about Muscle, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with muscle
Heart cells on lab chip display 'nanosense' that guides behavior
Nanotechnology / Bio & Medicine
21 hours ago |
4 / 5 (2) |
1
Johns Hopkins biomedical engineers, working with colleagues in Korea, have produced a laboratory chip with nanoscopic grooves and ridges capable of growing cardiac tissue that more closely resembles natural ...
Killer catfish? Venomous species surprisingly common, study finds
Dec 10, 2009 |
not rated yet |
2
(PhysOrg.com) -- Name all the venomous animals you can think of and you probably come up with snakes, spiders, bees, wasps and perhaps poisonous frogs. But catfish?
Muscling in on a mystery protein: Study of brawny pigs reveals key player in the genome
Dec 15, 2009 |
5 / 5 (1) |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- For thousands of years, humans have bred pigs for desirable traits, such as more muscle and less fat in the meat. Domestication makes animals ideal models for studying how genes control physical ...
Tendons shape bones during embryonic development
Dec 14, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
In all vertebrates, including humans, bones, muscles and tendons work together to give the skeleton its characteristic balance of stability and movement. Now, new research uncovers a previously unrecognized interaction between ...
Study explores 'garbage disposal' role of VCP and implications for degenerative disease
Dec 14, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
It's important to finish what you start, say Jeong-Sun Ju and researchers from Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis. In the December 14, 2009 issue of the Journal of Cell Biology, Ju et al. ...
Tiny molecule slows progression of Lou Gehrig's disease in mice
Dec 10, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have found that a molecule produced naturally by muscles in response to nerve damage can reduce symptoms and prolong life in a mouse model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). ...
OU Lab 1 of 4 in nation testing new exercise technique
Dec 14, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
A year ago, Michael Bemben, professor of health and exercise science in the University of Oklahoma College of Arts and Sciences, was invited to the National Press Club in Washington, D.C., to formally announce the partnership ...
From fruit fly wings to heart failure -- why Not(ch)?
Dec 10, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
Almost a century after it was discovered in fruit flies with notches in their wings, the Notch signalling pathway may come to play an important role in the recovery from heart attacks. In a study published ...
'Volume dial' neurone may aid spinal disease
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Dec 11, 2009 |
not rated yet |
0
(PhysOrg.com) -- Scottish researchers have discovered a new class of neuron that may lead to new therapies for spinal injury.
