Cells and Systems: Living Machines

"Where were you when I laid the foundation of the earth?"
--Job 38:4
The Foundations of Science introduces children to the wonders of the natural world in light of God's providential care over creation.
Too often we hear messages that science is in conflict with faith, but Pope St. John Paul II wrote that faith and science "each can draw the other into a wider world, a world in which both can flourish." Foundations seeks to spawn this flourishing in the hearts and minds of young readers, guiding them into a world that will delight their imaginations and inspire awe in the awesome power of God.
This eight-part series covers an extensive scope of scientific studies, from animals and plants, to the galaxies of outer space and the depths of the ocean, to cells and organisms, to the curiosities of chemistry and the marvels of our planet. Still more, it reveals the intricate order found beneath the surface of creation and chronicles many of the Church's contributions to science throughout history.
In Cells and Systems: Living Machines, Dr. Heather Ayala explores the fascinating depths found in the smallest of God's creations - the cell. The complex fabric and workings of the human body are presented vibrantly and clearly so that children can come to understand how they were created, from the division of their cells and the DNA instructions within them, to their muscles and bones, to their cardiovascular, respiratory, nervous, and other systems, to their five senses, to understanding why eating healthy foods and getting plenty of exercise is good for them.
Did you know . . .

• If you stretched out a single chromosome, it would be about 6 feet long?
• Our skin is our largest organ?
• A typical adult has 206 different bones in their body, from the largest, the femur in the leg just under twenty inches on average, to the smallest at only a few millimeters inside our ears?
• The human body has over 600 different muscles?
• A protein called hemoglobin found inside the red blood cells is what gives blood its red color?
• Our sense of taste is connected to our sense of smell?

In addition, children will also meet heroic figures like Saint Peregrine and Saint Damian, discover amazing true accounts of Eucharistic miracles where actual human flesh could be found within the Sacred Host, read about stories from the Bible, including Jesus healing the blind and deaf and the prophet Ezekiel's vision of the dry bones, and receive lessons on the virtues and how they are like spiritual muscles.
Take a journey back to when God laid the foundation of the world with this groundbreaking science curriculum!



About the Author
Dr. Heather Ayala is an Associate Professor of Biology and the Chair of the Department of Biology and Biochemistry at Belmont Abbey College. Over the past fifteen years she has worked at several small colleges throughout the country including one year at Wyoming Catholic College. Dr. Ayala received her PhD in Biological Sciences from the University of Notre Dame where she carried out research looking at the growth of Plasmodium falciparum, the parasite that causes malaria. Her primary interest is in teaching. At the college level Dr. Ayala has taught courses in Parasitology, Anatomy & Physiology, Genetics, and many others. She has also taught Biology classes through co-ops for homeschool students on the high school level. She was awarded an annual award at Belmont Abbey College in the spring of 2022 for her excellent teaching. Outside the classroom, Dr. Ayala enjoys spending time with her husband and four children, as well as cooking, sewing, gardening, and enjoying good music.