What two ways are smooth muscles and heart different from skeletal muscles?

Smooth and heart muscles differ from skeletal muscles in two main ways:

1. Structural Differences:

- Skeletal Muscles: Have striations, which are repeating bands of actin and myosin filaments, giving them a striped appearance under a microscope.

- Smooth and Heart Muscles: Lack striations and are therefore called non-striated muscles.

2. Control and Innervation:

- Skeletal Muscles: Are voluntary muscles, meaning their contractions are consciously controlled by the somatic nervous system.

- Smooth Muscles: Are involuntary muscles, and their contractions are not directly controlled consciously. They are regulated by the autonomic nervous system and hormones.

- Heart Muscle: Is involuntary, but unlike smooth muscles, it has its own specialized electrical conduction system called the cardiac conduction system. This system allows the heart muscle to contract rhythmically without conscious control.

In addition, smooth muscles are typically found in the internal organs, such as the walls of blood vessels, digestive tract, and respiratory system, while skeletal muscles are primarily responsible for voluntary movements of the body.