Rocket tries to lift a box with his new grabber arm. The arm just flops. "Bones alone cannot move!" he says.
Raven waves at him. "What do you notice? What makes my arm move?"
Nova hovers near Raven's arm. "Something under the skin pulls on the bones," she says. "What could it be?"
Rocket grins. "Muscles!"
You have more than 600 muscles in your body.
Muscles do everything from pumping blood to lifting a heavy backpack.
Each muscle is made of thousands of tiny fibers.
Muscles move body parts by contracting, then relaxing.
To contract means to shorten and tighten.
Your brain controls your muscles.
When you decide to move, the brain sends a signal.
The signal travels through the spinal cord and nerves to the muscle.
Then the muscle contracts, and your body part moves.
| Statement | True or false? |
|---|---|
| Muscles help pump blood. | ? |
| A muscle is made of one big fiber. | ? |
| The brain sends signals to muscles. | ? |
| Muscles move body parts by contracting and relaxing. | ? |
Mighty muscle work! Tomorrow we learn a big muscle secret: muscles can only pull.