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Hormone Hatchery
31 May 2012

Hormone Hatchery

Our pituitary gland produces hormones that control bodily functions including growth, temperature, sex drive and the conversion of food into energy. Any malfunction can have dire consequences for health. The gland is hard to study in action, however, being no bigger than a pea and located in a bony cavity at the base of the brain. Animals with more accessible endocrine systems can provide useful insights into how hormones are produced, transported and released in parts of the body where they are needed. Here, we see an x-organ sinus gland of a crab – there is one in each eyestalk – preparing to release hormones, packaged into little balls (stained blue), into the bloodstream. While the human pituitary gland behaves in a similar way, further comparisons are limited because the crab’s hormones control shell shedding, buoyancy and change of body colour.

Written by Mick Warwicker

  • Tina Carvalho
  • Originally published under Creative Commons (CC-BY 2.0) by NIH

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BPoD stands for Biomedical Picture of the Day. Managed by the MRC Laboratory of Medical Sciences until Jul 2023, it is now run independently by a dedicated team of scientists and writers. The website aims to engage everyone, young and old, in the wonders of biology, and its influence on medicine. The ever-growing archive of more than 4000 research images documents over a decade of progress. Explore the collection and see what you discover. Images are kindly provided for inclusion on this website through the generosity of scientists across the globe.

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