Health and medicine: From terpenes to steroids part 1: Terpenes

Steroids have to come from somewhere, right? Let's learn about the carbon building blocks with which steroids are made. By Ryan Patton.

Health and medicine

The medical world can be a confusing place. Patients, their families, and even students entering health fields might feel overwhelmed by the large vocabularies and complicated explanations. We hope to make understanding the medical world a bit easier. Look around! These videos do not provide medical advice and are for informational purposes only. The videos are not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of a qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay seeking it because of something you have read or seen in any Khan Academy video.

Biological basis of behavior: Endocrine system

Consider any behavior, sleeping for instance, and think about all of the organs that have to work together to have it go smoothly. The heart and lungs need to slow down, the brain needs to stop taking in the cues from the environment, and the bladder needs to wait until morning to empty. This coordinated effort is achieved by a number of unique hormones acting on different tissues. Learn more about how this process works and why it’s so critical to our everyday lives!

Topic: Science

Learn about all the sciences, from physics, chemistry and biology, to cosmology and astronomy, across hundreds of videos, articles and practice questions.