Based on this week’s readings:

1. What is homeostasis? How is the newer concept of allostasis (introduced in Ch. 1 in Sapolsky’s book) different?
2. The stress response is an adaption shaped through our evolutionary history. How is the stress response beneficial to survival for a zebra or humans in pre-modern times? Why is the stress response bad in our modern times?
3. What are the functions of the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems? In which situation do you expect to engage one over the other?
4. How does endocrine signaling compare to nerve signaling? What are the differences and similarities between them?
5. Make a drawing/diagram of the HPA axis. In your diagram, indicate the glands and the hormones involved, also use arrows to indicate which hormones control the secretion of other hormones in the HPA axis. 
6. The adrenal gland has two parts, the medulla produces adrenaline (epinephrine) while the cortex produces cortisol. What is the difference between these hormones in terms of:
   1. Are they lipophilic or hydrophilic? Based on that answer, then answer:
      1. How does this affect the way they travel in the blood, do they travel alone or bound to other proteins?
      2. Can they freely cross the plasma membrane? Do they activate intracellular or cell-surface receptors?
   2. What differences do they have in the timing of the response? How are these differences related to what they do inside the cell: do they activate gene expression or activate proteins that have already been made?
   3. How do these hormones differ in their purpose from a physiological and evolutionary perspective.