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- Glossary
Gap junction
A special connection between two cells that allows direct communication in the form of electrical cell coupling. Unlike most synapses, which use chemical messengers to transmit impulses, this connection is faster.
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- Glossary
Memory
Memory is a generic term for all types of information storage in the organism. In addition to pure retention, this also includes the absorption of information, its organization, and retrieval.
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- Glossary
Ossicles
The three bones located in the middle ear – the stapes, malleus, and incus – are known as the ossicles. These are the smallest bones in the human body. They mechanically transmit sound waves from the eardrum to the cochlea.
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- Glossary
Macula
The area of the retina with the highest density of photoreceptors. Due to this high "resolution," we see very sharply here. The diameter of the macula in humans is approximately 5 mm. The fovea centralis is located in the center of the macula.
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- Glossary
Gene
Information unit on DNA. Specialized enzymes translate the core component of a gene into ribonucleic acid (RNA). While some ribonucleic acids perform important functions in the cell themselves, others specify the order in which the cell should assemble individual amino acids into a specific protein. The gene thus provides the code for this protein. In addition, a gene also includes regulatory elements on the DNA that ensure that the gene is read exactly when the cell or organism actually needs its product.
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- Glossary
Olfactory epithelium
An area of olfactory cells measuring approximately 5 cm² located at the rear of the nasal septum. The axons (long, fiber-like extensions of nerve cells) of the olfactory cells form the olfactory nerve and travel through the ethmoid bone to the olfactory bulb.
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- Glossary
Taste
The sensory impression we refer to as "taste" results from the interaction between our senses of smell and taste. In terms of sensory physiology, however, "taste" is limited to the impression conveyed to us by the taste receptors on the tongue and in the surrounding mucous membranes. It is currently assumed that there are five different types of taste receptors that specialize in the taste qualities sweet, sour, salty, bitter, and umami. In 2005, scientists also identified possible taste receptors for fat, whose role as a distinct taste quality is still being investigated.
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- Glossary
Taste bud
Taste buds are groups of taste cells in the oral mucosa and are therefore the site of taste perception.
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- Glossary
Taste papilla
Taste papilla are specific surface structures on the tongue that contain taste receptors. They are distinguished by their size, shape, and density of taste receptors. There are wall, leaf, mushroom, filament, and lentil papillae.
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- Glossary
Field of view
The area of the outside world that can be perceived when the head is held still and the gaze is straight ahead. In humans, it is approximately 180° horizontally, of which about 120°–140° is binocular; vertically, it is approximately 135°. Rabbits achieve 360° thanks to their sideways-facing eyes, although their binocular field of vision – i.e., the intersection of both eyes – only covers 30°.
