Identify cortex and medulla in a published kidney section
Use the real source labels and the exposed tissue arrangement.
Extended only (Supplement); Biology 0610, 2026–2028. Use the stated specimen features and evidence. Diagrams are schematic. Written practice is self-checked
Before you begin
- Recall cell metabolism, blood transport, amino acids and the distinction between excretion and egestion.
Work on paper. Try each question before revealing help, and explain why your method works.
Quick readiness check
What kind of source image is supplied?
What you will learn
- Read the published anatomical illustration
- Distinguish its regional brackets
Identify cortex and medulla in a published kidney section
Unchanged published kidney-section illustration with a lower-right cortex bracket and lower-left medulla bracket. Extra labels provide orientation; it is not histology or an individual clinical image.
Enlarge image for inspection
Scroll across the source to trace each leader or bracket. Try identification before opening the key.
Check the identification key
Cortex: outer tissue band indicated by the lower-right source bracket, immediately beneath the capsule. Medulla: inner pyramidal region, with the lower-left source bracket highlighting one pyramid. The cortex also extends inward as renal columns. The central collecting space is not medulla. Cortex and medulla correspond to E and F in our separate original diagram; those letters are not printed in this source.
Read the published anatomical illustration
The unchanged OpenStax College kidney-section illustration exposes internal anatomy rather than showing only the organ surface. The source labels Cortex and Medulla identify the two required kidney regions. Cortex is the outer tissue band and medulla includes the deeper pyramidal areas. The figure is a published anatomical illustration, not a microscope photograph or a histological stain.
In this source, the cortex label is associated with a bracket at the lower right, while the medulla bracket at the lower left marks an inner pyramid. Trace the source bracket or leader into the tissue before deciding the answer. The printed label sits outside the tissue, so its position on the page is not itself the anatomical location.
Distinguish its regional brackets
The source also labels the ureter and blood vessels. Those additional labels help orientation but do not replace cortex and medulla with tube or vessel names. A ureter leads away along the urine route, while blood vessels connect the kidney circulation. The central collecting area is a different structure from the inner medullary tissue.
Open the source at full size or enlarge it if the responsive labels are small. Try identifying the regions before opening the teaching key. The image has no calibrated scale for this activity, so it cannot establish a numerical cortex thickness or medical diagnosis. Preserve the source’s published labels and distinguish image interpretation from directly observed living kidney function.
Pause and explain
Which pair matches the required section regions?
Worked example
Which region does the source cortex bracket identify?
Show the worked solution
- Find the Cortex label and trace its bracket.
- The target is the outer tissue band.
Answer The outer kidney tissue region is the cortex.
Try a topic test
Choose Easy, Normal or Difficult. Save your answers and open worked review after finishing.
Test this topic →From guided practice to a new situation
Write your answer and reasoning first. Use a hint only if you are stuck. The model solution is for self-checking; your written work is not automatically marked.
Use the published section to identify cortex and medulla.
Give me a hint
Trace the two source regional brackets.
Compare my reasoning
- The cortex bracket targets outer tissue.
- The medulla bracket targets an inner pyramid.
Cortex: outer tissue band. Medulla: inner pyramidal region.
Look for these in your work
- Use the actual source labels
- Give both regional positions
A student identifies the medulla by touching the word printed outside the kidney. Improve the method.
Give me a hint
The word and its target have different positions.
Compare my reasoning
- Follow the source bracket or leader.
- Identify the tissue region where it ends.
Trace the Medulla bracket into the inner pyramidal tissue; the outside position of the printed word is not the anatomical location.
Look for these in your work
- Follow the bracket
- Identify its tissue target
Can this uncalibrated illustration establish a real cortex thickness or a learner’s kidney condition?
Give me a hint
A diagram lacks the required specimen measurements.
Compare my reasoning
- No calibrated thickness measurement is supplied.
- It is an anatomical teaching illustration, not individual clinical evidence.
No; identify the regions, but do not infer a measured thickness or a learner’s medical state from this uncalibrated illustration.
Look for these in your work
- Restrict the interpretation
- Name the missing evidence
Common mistakes
- Calling the illustration a histology photograph.
- Using outside label position instead of its target.
What can you explain now?
Which pair matches the required section regions?
Compare with the explanation
Outer tissue cortex; inner pyramidal medulla
Both match the source anatomy.
After trying it yourself, choose your next review. This is your self-assessment.
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Make it stick
Identify both source regions by their brackets rather than external word positions.
If you needed the solution, close it and solve the problem again from a blank page. A correct answer is stronger when you can explain the reason for each step.