EONS LEARNING

  • Home
  • About Us
  • Classroom
    • Resources >
      • Study Skills
      • Periodic Table
      • Common Ion Sheet
      • The Scientific Method
      • Doing Background Research
    • Introduction and Course Philosophy
    • Unit 1: Beginning Chemistry >
      • Lesson 1: The Atom >
        • What is an Atom?
        • The Structure of Atoms
        • The Periodic Table
        • Modeling Atoms
      • Lesson 2: Chemical Bonding >
        • Why Do Atoms Form Bonds?
        • Ionic Bonding
        • Covalent Bonding
        • Intermolecular Attraction
      • Lesson 3: Chemical Nomenclature >
        • Octet Rule
        • Ionic Compounds
        • Covalent Molecules
      • Lesson 4: Molecular Molecules >
        • Modeling Ionic Compounds
        • Modeling Covalent Molecules
      • Lesson 5: States of Matter >
        • States of Matter
        • Phase Changes
      • Lesson 6: Density >
        • What is Density?
        • Calculating Density
      • Lesson 7: Thermodynamics >
        • Temperature
        • Heat
        • Gas Laws
      • Lesson 8: Solution Chemistry >
        • Diffusion
        • Solutions and Molarity
        • Semi-Permeable Membranes
      • Lesson 9: Thermal Expansion >
        • Thermal Expansion
    • Unit 2: Earth Science >
      • Lesson 10: Earth at a Glance >
        • Perspective
        • Maps
      • Lesson 11: Layers of the Earth >
        • Layers of the Earth
      • Lesson 12: Plate Tectonics >
        • Plate Tectonics
      • Lesson 13: Rocks and Minerals >
        • Rocks and Minerals
      • Lesson 14: Particle Sorting >
        • Differentiation
        • Deposition of Sediment
      • Lesson 15: The Atmosphere >
        • Composition of the Atmosphere
        • Layers of the Atmosphere
        • Change Over Time
        • Atmospheric Disruption
    • Unit 3: The Cell >
      • Lesson 16: Life >
        • What is Life?
        • Structural Hierarchy of Living Things
      • Lesson 17: Biochemistry >
        • Intro to Biochemistry
        • Water
        • Micromolecules
        • Energy, Carbohydrates, Lipids
        • Protein and Nucleic Acid
      • Lesson 18: Cells >
        • What are Cells?
        • Microscopy
        • Plant and Animal Cells
      • Lesson 19: Membrane Transport >
        • A Special Environment
        • The Structure of Membranes
        • Membrane Transport
      • Lesson 20: Energy and Cell Respiration >
        • Energy in Biology
        • Energy Diagrams
        • Glycolysis and Anaerobic Respiration
        • Aerobic Cellular Respiration
      • Lesson 21: Photosynthesis >
        • Plants Get Energy From The Sun
        • Photosynthesis Process
        • Energy, Ecosystems, and the Environment
    • Unit 4: Anatomy and Physiology >
      • Lesson 22: The Human Body >
        • What Are Bodies Made Of?
        • What Do Bodies Do?
      • Lesson 23: The Nervous System >
        • The Nervous System
        • Neuronal Communication
        • The Central Nervous System
      • Lesson 24: The Endocrine System >
        • The Endocrine System
        • Hormones
        • Hormones, Puberty, and Reproduction
      • Lesson 25: The Integumentary System >
        • The Integumentary System
      • Lesson 26: The Musculoskeletal System >
        • The Skeletal System
        • The Muscular System
        • Anatomy Of The Musculoskeletal System
      • Lesson 27: The Cardiovascular System >
        • Blood and Blood Vessels
        • The Heart
      • Lesson 28: The Respiratory System >
        • The Respiratory System
      • Lesson 29: The Digestive System >
        • The Digestive System
        • Nutrition
      • Lesson 30: The Excretory System >
        • The Excretory System
      • Lesson 31: The Immune System >
        • Disease and Infection
        • Immunity
    • Units 5-6 Coming Soon
  • Workbench
    • Unit 1 >
      • EIS >
        • Lesson 1: Atoms
        • Lesson 2: Chemical Bonding
        • Lesson 3: Chemical Nomenclature
        • Lesson 4: Molecular Models
        • Lesson 5: States of Matter
        • Lesson 6: Density
        • Lesson 7: Thermodynamics
        • Lesson 8: Solution Chemistry
        • Lesson 9: Thermal Expansion
      • Unit 1: Project
      • Unit 1: Exam Review
      • Unit 1: Exam
    • Unit 2 >
      • EIS >
        • Lesson 10: Earth at a Glance
        • Lesson 11: Layers of the Earth
        • Lesson 12: Plate Tectonics
        • Lesson 13: Rocks and Minerals
        • Lesson 14: Particle Sorting
        • Lesson 15: The Atmosphere
      • Unit 2: Project
      • Unit 2: Exam Review
      • Unit 2: Exam
    • Unit 3 >
      • EIS >
        • Lesson 16: Life
        • Lesson 17: Biochemsitry
        • Lesson 18: Cells
        • Lesson 19: Membrane Transport
        • Lesson 20: Energy and Cell Respiration
        • Lesson 21: Photosynthesis
      • Unit 3: Project
      • Unit 3: Exam Review
      • Unit 3: Exam
    • Unit 4 >
      • EIS >
        • 22: The Human Body
        • 23: The Nervous System
        • 24: The Endocrine System
        • 25: The Integumentary System
        • 26: The Musculoskeletal System
        • 27: The Cardiovascular System
        • 28: The Respiratory System
        • 29: The Digestive System
        • 30: The Excretory System
        • 31: The Immune System
      • Unit 4 Project
      • Unit 4 Exam Review
      • Unit 4 Exam
    • Units 5-6 Coming Soon
  • Donate
  • Home
  • About Us
  • Classroom
    • Resources >
      • Study Skills
      • Periodic Table
      • Common Ion Sheet
      • The Scientific Method
      • Doing Background Research
    • Introduction and Course Philosophy
    • Unit 1: Beginning Chemistry >
      • Lesson 1: The Atom >
        • What is an Atom?
        • The Structure of Atoms
        • The Periodic Table
        • Modeling Atoms
      • Lesson 2: Chemical Bonding >
        • Why Do Atoms Form Bonds?
        • Ionic Bonding
        • Covalent Bonding
        • Intermolecular Attraction
      • Lesson 3: Chemical Nomenclature >
        • Octet Rule
        • Ionic Compounds
        • Covalent Molecules
      • Lesson 4: Molecular Molecules >
        • Modeling Ionic Compounds
        • Modeling Covalent Molecules
      • Lesson 5: States of Matter >
        • States of Matter
        • Phase Changes
      • Lesson 6: Density >
        • What is Density?
        • Calculating Density
      • Lesson 7: Thermodynamics >
        • Temperature
        • Heat
        • Gas Laws
      • Lesson 8: Solution Chemistry >
        • Diffusion
        • Solutions and Molarity
        • Semi-Permeable Membranes
      • Lesson 9: Thermal Expansion >
        • Thermal Expansion
    • Unit 2: Earth Science >
      • Lesson 10: Earth at a Glance >
        • Perspective
        • Maps
      • Lesson 11: Layers of the Earth >
        • Layers of the Earth
      • Lesson 12: Plate Tectonics >
        • Plate Tectonics
      • Lesson 13: Rocks and Minerals >
        • Rocks and Minerals
      • Lesson 14: Particle Sorting >
        • Differentiation
        • Deposition of Sediment
      • Lesson 15: The Atmosphere >
        • Composition of the Atmosphere
        • Layers of the Atmosphere
        • Change Over Time
        • Atmospheric Disruption
    • Unit 3: The Cell >
      • Lesson 16: Life >
        • What is Life?
        • Structural Hierarchy of Living Things
      • Lesson 17: Biochemistry >
        • Intro to Biochemistry
        • Water
        • Micromolecules
        • Energy, Carbohydrates, Lipids
        • Protein and Nucleic Acid
      • Lesson 18: Cells >
        • What are Cells?
        • Microscopy
        • Plant and Animal Cells
      • Lesson 19: Membrane Transport >
        • A Special Environment
        • The Structure of Membranes
        • Membrane Transport
      • Lesson 20: Energy and Cell Respiration >
        • Energy in Biology
        • Energy Diagrams
        • Glycolysis and Anaerobic Respiration
        • Aerobic Cellular Respiration
      • Lesson 21: Photosynthesis >
        • Plants Get Energy From The Sun
        • Photosynthesis Process
        • Energy, Ecosystems, and the Environment
    • Unit 4: Anatomy and Physiology >
      • Lesson 22: The Human Body >
        • What Are Bodies Made Of?
        • What Do Bodies Do?
      • Lesson 23: The Nervous System >
        • The Nervous System
        • Neuronal Communication
        • The Central Nervous System
      • Lesson 24: The Endocrine System >
        • The Endocrine System
        • Hormones
        • Hormones, Puberty, and Reproduction
      • Lesson 25: The Integumentary System >
        • The Integumentary System
      • Lesson 26: The Musculoskeletal System >
        • The Skeletal System
        • The Muscular System
        • Anatomy Of The Musculoskeletal System
      • Lesson 27: The Cardiovascular System >
        • Blood and Blood Vessels
        • The Heart
      • Lesson 28: The Respiratory System >
        • The Respiratory System
      • Lesson 29: The Digestive System >
        • The Digestive System
        • Nutrition
      • Lesson 30: The Excretory System >
        • The Excretory System
      • Lesson 31: The Immune System >
        • Disease and Infection
        • Immunity
    • Units 5-6 Coming Soon
  • Workbench
    • Unit 1 >
      • EIS >
        • Lesson 1: Atoms
        • Lesson 2: Chemical Bonding
        • Lesson 3: Chemical Nomenclature
        • Lesson 4: Molecular Models
        • Lesson 5: States of Matter
        • Lesson 6: Density
        • Lesson 7: Thermodynamics
        • Lesson 8: Solution Chemistry
        • Lesson 9: Thermal Expansion
      • Unit 1: Project
      • Unit 1: Exam Review
      • Unit 1: Exam
    • Unit 2 >
      • EIS >
        • Lesson 10: Earth at a Glance
        • Lesson 11: Layers of the Earth
        • Lesson 12: Plate Tectonics
        • Lesson 13: Rocks and Minerals
        • Lesson 14: Particle Sorting
        • Lesson 15: The Atmosphere
      • Unit 2: Project
      • Unit 2: Exam Review
      • Unit 2: Exam
    • Unit 3 >
      • EIS >
        • Lesson 16: Life
        • Lesson 17: Biochemsitry
        • Lesson 18: Cells
        • Lesson 19: Membrane Transport
        • Lesson 20: Energy and Cell Respiration
        • Lesson 21: Photosynthesis
      • Unit 3: Project
      • Unit 3: Exam Review
      • Unit 3: Exam
    • Unit 4 >
      • EIS >
        • 22: The Human Body
        • 23: The Nervous System
        • 24: The Endocrine System
        • 25: The Integumentary System
        • 26: The Musculoskeletal System
        • 27: The Cardiovascular System
        • 28: The Respiratory System
        • 29: The Digestive System
        • 30: The Excretory System
        • 31: The Immune System
      • Unit 4 Project
      • Unit 4 Exam Review
      • Unit 4 Exam
    • Units 5-6 Coming Soon
  • Donate

eis 30: the excretory system

Activity 1: Filtering Blood

In this lesson, you learned all about your kidneys and how important it is that they’re functioning properly. In this activity, you will learn more about the role of your kidney in filtering blood and how kidney function is damaged in kidney disease.

Kidney disease is very common, affecting about 1 in 7 Americans. This is partly because it is caused by other very common diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, and certain autoimmune diseases. It can range in severity from relatively mild, with few to no symptoms (but you could still detect proteinuria—or protein in the urine—on a urine test), to deadly (kidney disease is one of the top ten leading causes of death in America). It typically progresses from mild to severe. 

In the severe stages, people with kidney disease need to go on dialysis, which is a medical procedure in which people are hooked up to a machine that cleans their blood for them, through a port similar to an IV in their arm. This takes several hours and can need to happen as frequently as every day, so it can be a huge burden on people’s lives. This video talks more about kidney disease and dialysis:
A kidney transplant can be curative and completely remove the need for dialysis, but it still requires people to be on immunosuppressants, which can limit the ability to go out in crowded public places, for the rest of their lives. Unfortunately, kidneys are also in short supply. The waiting list for a kidney from a deceased donor (the longest waiting list for any organ transplant) has over 90,000 people on it, meaning that people could wait 5 or even 10 years before getting an organ, which sometimes means they die while waiting for a transplant. Luckily, scientists are working on ways to create new kidneys from scratch through tissue engineering, and some companies say they’re getting pretty close: Some estimate that this could be a reality as soon as the next 5 years.

This activity will give you a chance to see how the structure of the kidney glomerulus—the part of the functional unit (the nephron) that filters all small solutes out of the blood before the rest of the nephron selectively reabsorbs anything good we got rid of in that process and actively secretes anything bad we didn’t get rid of—is important for proper functioning of the kidney, and how the structure of a damaged glomerulus compares to that of a healthy one.

materials

  • Model of Blood made in EIS 27. If you’d like, you can also add additional food coloring (such as yellow for urea) to this to represent wastes in your blood.
  • Coffee filter, cheesecloth, fine mesh sieve, paper towels, or piece of fabric. This represents a healthy glomerulus (a capillary with large fenestrations).
  • Colander. This represents a glomerulus that has been damaged.
  • Chicken wire or something else of similar mesh size is recommended, but not required. This represents a glomerulus with severe damage.
  • Plastic baggie or another watertight container. This represents a glomerulus with scar tissue due to past injury.
  • Large bowl to filter into

procedure

1. Filter your blood model through each of the four sizes of mesh indicated in the materials (watertight, small mesh, colander/medium mesh, and, optionally, chicken wire/large mesh). You can either do this by shaking the blood well and filtering only a small amount of the blood through each or by recollecting the blood at the end of each step. 

2. Make note of which blood components go through each filter and which do not go through the filter. You may want to remind yourself what each of the components of your model represents in real blood.

​3. In a real glomerulus, the force of blood pressure helps to push solutes out of blood quickly. Try adding some pressure to each of the filters (such as by squeezing the filter, especially the plastic baggie and the fine filter). Does this change your observations?

If you’re having fun or learning something cool, we want to see it! If you have an Instagram and the permission of your relevant responsible adult, share with us @eons_learning, #GlomerulusEons.

Longitudinal Activity: Making a Model of the Human Body

Add the following to your model of the human body:
  • Kidney 
  • Ureter
  • Bladder
  • Urethra

Bonus Activity: Dialysis

Note: This activity is not required, as it makes use of materials that are not commonly found in most homes. These materials can be acquired relatively cheaply, and we do think that this activity can be very fun and educational for many students!

As discussed above, dialysis is an important and lifesaving treatment for those with kidney disease, even though there are some significant drawbacks. Dialysis makes use of concentration gradients to clean your blood.

In a dialysis machine, blood is separated from a dialysis fluid using a semipermeable membrane (dialysis tubing). Wastes, salts, glucose, and water from your blood could all hypothetically cross this membrane. Salts and glucose are found in the same concentration in the dialysis fluid as the ideal concentration in your blood, which means that, if you have too little salt and/or glucose, they will move into your blood from the dialysis fluid, and, if you have too much in your blood, they will move from your blood into the dialysis fluid. Wastes are not found in fresh dialysis fluid, so they will move out of your blood and into the dialysis fluid. 

This activity will give you the opportunity to explore the functions of dialysis tubing and how this relates to real kidney function. It’s fairy open-ended as the main goal is for you to explore using solutes and solvents that you already have on hand.

materials

  • Dialysis tubing. This can be acquired relatively inexpensively ($10-20 for 10 feet of tubing) through Amazon or other online retailers or through lab or medical supply shops. (Note that you do not need it to be sterilized or medical-grade, which are much more expensive.)
  • Rubber bands, ties, or tubing clamps. This is used to seal off the ends of your tubing.
  • Scissors,
  • Solutions of water and various concentrations of solute. This is where the project becomes flexible: The main goal is for you to explore a bunch of possibilities to see what crosses your barrier, what doesn’t, and what direction solutes move in. We strongly recommend using supplies that are already easily available in your home, such as salt, sugar, and/or food coloring. If you’re not squeamish, you can even use real urine! (Don’t worry, it’s sterile, as long as you don’t have a urinary tract infection).
  • You may find a funnel or syringe to be helpful in filling the dialysis tubing, but this is not absolutely necessary.
  • Containers such as bowls or glasses.

procedure

1. Dialysis tubing doesn’t really look much like a tube when it comes packaged, because the membrane is very thin and it’s usually packed flat. To use the tubing in your experiments:
  • Cut off about 6 inches of tubing from the roll using a pair of scissors.
  • Get the tubing wet, by submerging it in water or another fluid. You should notice that it becomes very fluid and kind of slippery.
  • Tie off or clamp one end of the dialysis tubing with the rubber bands, ties, or tubing clamps. This should be a watertight seal. 
  • Pinching the flat side of your tubing near the opening, rub your fingers back and forth. You should notice that the two membranes start to come apart.
  • You can now fill the dialysis tubing with a liquid of your choosing. Remember, the goal is for you to explore how solutes and water move by diffusion and osmosis, so it’s best to establish a concentration gradient. A funnel or syringe may help you to fill it.
  • Tie off or clamp the other end of your tube.
  • This video gives a helpful overview of how to set up dialysis tubing. Your liquids don’t have to be exactly the same as theirs.
​
2. Put the dialysis tubing in a second liquid of your choosing. Again, it’s best to choose your liquids so that you’re establishing a concentration gradient and can see how things move.

3.Repeat steps 1 and 2 for as many experimental groups as you’d like.

4. 
Leave the dialysis tubing for several hours to a few days and note your observations.
If you’re having fun or learning something cool, we want to see it! If you have an Instagram and the permission of your relevant responsible adult, share with us @eons_learning, #DialysisEons.

Bonus Challenge: Tissue Engineering

Note: This activity is not required, but it can be a fun challenge for students who want to put their creative thinking and engineering skills to the test!

Tissue engineering is a fascinating field of research, and it’s a bit of a hot-topic in science right now. The basic idea is to recreate a functional human organ using biomaterials and cells. There are a couple of different avenues of research being pursued in this field, some of which have been around for a while but haven’t quite overcome some of the biggest challenges in making fully functional tissue and some of which are newer but very promising. It has far-reaching implications, ranging from eliminating the need for organ waitlists to improving the ways we do research. Here’s a few videos, if you’d like to explore this topic further (featuring a quick cameo from yours truly in the last video):
Kidneys are an especially hot-topic in the field of tissue engineering because of the unique challenges associated with printing something as tiny, complicated, and important as a nephron, with all of its microvasculature. 

This activity will challenge you to think like a tissue engineer to recreate a structure that functions in the same way as a nephron. This video walks through each of the parts of the nephron and what they do, if you’d like more background:

materials

You choose! You will need something that functions in a similar way to the glomerulus and tubules of the kidney, at a minimum. We encourage you to be mindful of your resources and use primarily those materials that you might already have on hand. 

procedure

Create a “nephron” of your own design that has functions similar to the glomerulus and tubules of the kidney. We encourage you to think about how each of these things works and what materials you might have that have a similar function.

If you’re having fun or learning something cool, we want to see it! If you have an Instagram and the permission of your relevant responsible adult, share with us @eons_learning, #TissueEngineeringEons.

© COPYRIGHT 2020. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.