Frequently-asked questions
Here are some answers to several of the most common
questions regarding the IB Physiology course:
- There is no plant science in IB Physiology. It is entirely animal physiology, very roughly two thirds focused on humans, one third on other mammals. It is therefore less comparative than IA Physiology of Organisms.
- There is no neurobiology in IB Physiology – that's taken as a separate option.
- The level of mathematics/physics needed for this course is no more advanced than that required for IA PoO.
- There are some exciting practicals associated with this course: they follow a similar format to those run in the Physiological Laboratory in IA PoO.
- You can take it without having taken IA PoO, although you will be at a disadvantage without this background..
...and here are some less-frequently-asked questions, which we will answer in the IB Physiology course:
- How did one man survive over a year without food?
- What are the differences between Usain Bolt and Paula Radcliffe?
- Why do premature babies struggle to breathe?
- What are the consequences of the Atkins diet?
- Why is excess spinach bad for Popeye?
- How do we maintain an ECF pH of 7.4?
- How can some frogs freeze solid and survive?
- What are they actually doing to the patient on ER and House?
- How would I induce labour in a pig?
- What are the problems with living on a space-station?
- What happens when you climb a mountain?
- What is the composition of rectal gas?