Related topics: skin cancer , skin cells
Skin
hideThe skin is the outer covering of the body. In humans, it is the largest organ of the integumentary system made up of multiple layers of mesodermal tissues, and guards the underlying muscles, bones, ligaments and internal organs. Skin of a different nature exists in amphibians, reptiles, birds. Human skin is not unlike that of most other mammals except that it is not protected by a pelt and appears hairless though in fact nearly all human skin is covered with hair follicles. The adjective cutaneous literally means "of the skin" (from Latin cutis, skin).
Because it interfaces with the environment, skin plays a key role in protecting (the body) against pathogens and excessive water loss. Its other functions are insulation, temperature regulation, sensation, synthesis of vitamin D, and the protection of vitamin B folates. Severely damaged skin will try to heal by forming scar tissue. This is often discolored and depigmented.
In humans, skin pigmentation varies among populations, and skin type can range from dry to oily. Such skin variety provides a rich and diverse habit for bacteria which number roughly a 1000 species from 19 phyla.
For more information about Skin, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with skin
Team reports major step forward in cell reprogramming
Oct 08, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- A team of Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) researchers has made a major advance toward producing induced pluripotent stem cells, or iPS cells, that are safe enough to use in treating diseases ...
How stem cells make skin
Sep 13, 2009 |
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Stem cells have a unique ability: when they divide, they can either give rise to more stem cells, or to a variety of specialised cell types. In both mice and humans, a layer of cells at the base of the skin ...
Acoustic tweezers can position tiny objects
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Aug 28, 2009 |
5 / 5 (7) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Manipulating tiny objects like single cells or nanosized beads often requires relatively large, unwieldy equipment, but now a system that uses sound as a tiny tweezers can be small enough ...
Mummified dinosaur skin yields up new secrets
Other Sciences / Archaeology & Fossils
Jul 01, 2009 |
4.7 / 5 (18) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Scientists from The University of Manchester have identified preserved organic molecules in the skin of a dinosaur that died around 66-million years ago.
Germany bans solariums for under-18s
Jun 19, 2009 |
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The German lower house of parliament on Friday passed a law banning under-18s from going to solariums because of the risks of developing skin cancer.
Skin lesion leads to more cancer types than once believed
Jun 02, 2009 |
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Actinic keratoses are sun-damaged rough patches or lesions on the skin — often pink and scaly — that doctors have long believed can turn into a form of skin cancer known as squamous cell carcinoma.
Immune therapies finally working against cancer
May 31, 2009 |
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(AP) -- First there was surgery, then chemotherapy and radiation. Now, doctors have overcome 30 years of false starts and found success with a fourth way to fight cancer: using the body's natural defender, ...
Stem cell breakthrough gets closer to the clinic
May 28, 2009 |
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The technology for versatile, grow-in-a-dish transplant tissue took a step toward clinical use Thursday when researchers announced they have found a safe way to turn skin cells into stem cells.
Study finds unexpected bacterial diversity on human skin
May 28, 2009 |
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The health of our skin -- one of the body's first lines of defense against illness and injury — depends upon the delicate balance between our own cells and the millions of bacteria and other one-celled microbes ...
World first: Japanese scientists create transgenic monkeys
May 27, 2009 |
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In a controversial achievement, Japanese scientists announced on Wednesday they had created the world's first transgenic primates, breeding monkeys with a gene that made the animals' skin glow a fluorescent ...
Test for early Alzheimer's in late development
May 27, 2009 |
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(AP) -- A research institute devoted to Alzheimer's and related diseases has teamed up with a major maker of diagnostic tests to speed development of what could be the first test to detect Alzheimer's in its early stages.
Chameleon-like camouflage: 'Nano-camo' for fashionistas and environmentalists
Nanotechnology / Nanomaterials
Apr 17, 2009 |
4 / 5 (10) |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Certain fish species blend with their environment by changing color. Sandia National Laboratories researchers have demonstrated that, in theory, they could cause synthetic materials to change ...
Childhood eczema is a growing problem
Apr 08, 2009 |
2 / 5 (2) |
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Michelle Stevens first noticed the red, blotchy patches on her toddler's feet after he started walking. Every time Noah walked outdoors in their grassy backyard, the blotches appeared.
New melanoma tumor suppressor gene uncovered
Mar 29, 2009 |
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National Institutes of Health (NIH) researchers have identified a gene that suppresses tumor growth in melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer. The finding is reported today in the journal Nature Genetics as part of a s ...
New simulation shows consequences of a world without Earth's natural sunscreen (w/Video)
Space & Earth / Earth Sciences
Mar 19, 2009 |
4.5 / 5 (119) |
7
(PhysOrg.com) -- The year is 2065. Nearly two-thirds of Earth's ozone is gone -- not just over the poles, but everywhere. The infamous ozone hole over Antarctica, first discovered in the 1980s, is a year-round ...
