20461 Laboratory: Animal Physiology

Credits: 2 intermediate credits in Life Sciences

Prerequisites: General Biology I, General Biology II, Vertebrates, Human Physiology,1 as well as fulfilling English requirements

Required: Fundamentals of Physics for Biology Students I, Fundamentals of Physics for Biology Students II 2

Recommended: Nerve Cells: Introduction to Neurobiology

Authors: Sarah Weissenberg, Revital Lavy, Simona Ginsburg

This course deals with various topics in physiology and relates to material studied in Vertebrates (20104), Human Physiology (20556), and Nerve Cells: Introduction to Neurobiology (20308).

The course imparts laboratory skills, acquaints students with scientific instruments and common calculation techniques, and develops their ability to integrate theoretical information and experimental data. It includes virtual experiments on general physiology (excitable tissues, nerve, heart muscle), system physiology (respiration/cardiovascular) and comparative physiology. Some are virtual simulations, others data analysis (“dry labs”) of results obtained from live experiments. Sessions take place at Open University facilities. Background materials include texts in English. The course is offered in a year-long format.

Topics (subject to change): Virtual labs (multimedia simulations) – nerve, patch clamp, muscle, heart. Dry exercises and data analysis – the circulatory and respiratory systems during exercise; Mammalian metabolism at different ambient temperatures; Mammalian renal function.


1With the approval of the coordinator of this laboratory course (20461), students may take it concurrently with the theoretical course, Human Physiology (20556). However, they will not get a grade in this course until they have received a grade for 20556.

2or Fundamentals of Physics I (20113) + Fundamentals of Physics II (20114), or Fundamentals of Physics (20125).