The Respiratory System and Looking at the Lungs
Just as a fire needs oxygen to burn, the human body also needs a continuous
supply of this essential element for the process of combustion that goes on
constantly in every cell. We ordinarily do not think of a body metabolism as
combustion, yet that is what is: the controlled burning of carbohydrates, fats,
and proteins to provide energy. The job of the respiratory system is to furnish the
oxygen that combines with these fuels in each of the billions of cells, and to
carry away the waste product of carbon dioxide.
And so we breathe - fourteen times a minute, a pint of air per breath, more
than ten thousand quarts of air a day. Not all that comes in, of course, is
oxygen. Only about one - fifth of the air we breathe is this life - sustaining
element. But it makes up an important part of our bodies and our lives. At any
given moment, half the body's weight is oxygen. The overwhelming portion,
incidentally, is not in the form of a gas, the way we usually think of oxygen.
We loosely use the word "respiration" to describe the process of taking in
oxygen and letting out carbon dioxide. To be scrupulously accurate, respiration
refers to the ultimate exchange that takes place in the cells themselves, the
delivery of oxygen and the removal of carbon dioxide. This gas transfer, as it is
scientifically known, is at the heart of human life. If oxygen did not arrive, if the
carbon dioxide were not removed, our lives would be abruptly shortened. The
exchange must take place in every cell, including those distant from the
oxygen - rich atmosphere that surrounds us. Obtaining that oxygen and ...
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...o do suffer heart attacks are less likely to survive
than nonsmokers. Smokers also run an increased risk of stroke. The tendency
of cigarettes to induce chronic obstructive lung disease has already been
mentioned, as has the greatly increased incidence of lung cancer in smokers.
And pregnant women who smoke are more likely to have premature or stillborn
infants. Smoking is known to increase man's liability to many potentially fatal
or disabling lung disorders, including cancer, emphysema and bronchitis.
Typically, after years of smoking, pink, healthy lungs turn black.
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Our lungs are essential to life, yet they are frequently misused - subjected to
smoking or industrial pollution. Stopping smoking, although not a cure for lung
disease, is definitely a preventive measure.
Although we haven't covered these systems in detail yet, which of the following systems would involve gas exchange of CO2 and O2?
oxygen out of the blood and uses it in the body's cells. The cells use
Here, deep in the lungs, oxygen diffuses through the alveoli walls and into the blood in the capillaries and gaseous waste products in the blood—mainly carbon dioxide—diffuse through the capillary walls and into the alveoli. But if something prevents the oxygen from reaching t...
oxygen to survive. If the oxygen level is depressed to zero, all fish in the
The circulatory system and respiratory system share a highly important relationship that is crucial to maintaining the life of an organism. In order for bodily processes to be performed, energy to be created, and homeostasis to be maintained, the exchange of oxygen from the external environment to the intracellular environment is performed by the relationship of these two systems. Starting at the heart, deoxygenated/carbon-dioxide (CO2)-rich blood is moved in through the superior and inferior vena cava into the right atrium, then into the right ventricle when the heart is relaxed. As the heart contracts, the deoxygenated blood is pumped through the pulmonary arteries to capillaries in the lungs. As the organism breathes and intakes oxygenated air, oxygen is exchanged with CO2 in the blood at the capillaries. As the organism breathes out, it expels the CO2 into the external environment. For the blood in the capillaries, it is then moved into pulmonary veins and make
Introduction: Respiration, commonly known as the inhalation, exhaling or breathing, has a little known definition. This is the definition that involves the cellular level of eukaryotic cells. Cellular respiration may best be described by the following equation: C6h1206+602-6CO2+6H20+36ATP. ATP is the energy needed for a cell to function as part of cellular respiration. ATP is needed to power the cell processes.
Air Air is what we breathe. It is an element of new life and possibilities. It is a component of thought and creativity. Without air, thought will have no movement or action. It also has to do with freedom.
for us to live. We measure the rate of it, by measuring the pulse. We
...h as food, drink, shelter, and clothing, which cannot be given up due to our nature.
It covers 70% of our planet, makes up 75% of our body, it is necessary for survival and it is declining at a rapid rate (http://www.sscwd.org). It is water. Unfortunately, clean water is rare, almost 1 billion people in developing countries do not have access to water everyday. “Yet, we take it for granted, we waste it, and we even pay too much to drink it from little plastic bottles” (The Water Project). Use of earth’s natural resources should be seen as prosperity, although it is taken for granted, every aspect of daily life revolves around the environment, forcing water conservation to be necessary for future on this planet. Many people grab a water bottle to go as they head to life as normal, others in developing countries spend their lives searching for water that is rarely found. Even if they do obtain water, it is seldom clean and usually comes with the risk of disease. As more developed countries pay a dollar or so for a bottle of water, others in less fortunate places worship water as if it is gold.
Oxygen (O) is one of the most important ions present in the body, making up 61% of the body’s mass. It aids in the destruction of harmful bacteria, while preserving the bacteria that is beneficial for the body. Oxygen takes on its role, and transfers the bacteria absorbed into the lungs, to the cells, allowing for cell respiration. Oxygen allows for the replacement of old cells, protection of the new ones, production of energy from the food, and decomposition of other foods (“Oxygen and Human Body,” n.d.). Oxygen is also vital to produce an activity known as metabolism, which is ‘the sum of the physical and chemical processes in an organism by which its material substance is ...
Life according to scientists is “the condition that distinguishes animals and plants from inorganic matter, including the capacity for growth, reproduction, functional activity, and continual change preceding death, also the way of life of a human being or animal.”("Life,”) In order for one to have life, one must have the nine characteristics to be considered a living thing. These nine characteristics are; all living things are made up of cells, living things are able to reproduce, living thing use energy, maintain homeostasis, respond and adapt to the environment, grow and develop, have a life span, evolve over time, and are interdependence. All of the nine characteristics have one thing in common, something that is needed for all living things to use, even if they do not know it. This beautiful thing that all living things should value is photosynthesis. Without photosynthesis there wouldn’t consist humans, animals, insects, and most importantly life!
Water is the most vital part of life. Water is needed from humans, to plants and other organisms, and to do basically everything. Water allows our bodily functions to work and to remove waste from our bodies. Plants need water to grow, and humans need plants to gr...
This equation also shows fermentation process, which proves an anaerobic respiration, which means that oxygen is absent from the process. Anaerobic respiration takes place in organisms and releases a small amount of energy very quickly. In most organisms, it consists of a chain of chemical reactions called glycolysis, which break down glucose into pyrutic acid.
The roles of the circulatory and respiratory system both carry important responsibilities and are essential in their jobs to the human body. The circulatory system is one, if not the, most important system in the human body. The circulatory system is made up of the heart, blood, and blood vessels. Within the blood vessels, there are three types: arteries, veins, and capillaries. The heart is an organ made up of cardiac muscle that has a role similar to a pump. When the muscles in the heart contract, it pumps fresh blood away from the heart, through a main artery called the aorta, and to the organs and cells of the body. Nutrients and oxygen then enter the cells through diffusion of the tissues. The respiratory system transports oxygen to the circulatory system. When transporting oxygen to the circulatory system, this will in turn transport oxygen to the rest of the cells in the body. Aside from transporting oxygen to the body, the respiratory system also plays a role in the removal of carbon dioxide and other contaminants in the body. These two systems effectively and efficiently work together in order to supply the body with oxygen and remove carbon dioxide and any other