The Respiratory System

Oxygen goes in, carbon dioxide goes out. Sounds simple enough, but your respiratory system — composed of your lungs, trachea, sinuses, and sundry microscopic helpers — works a grueling 24/7 job just to keep your blood oxygenated, and your body alive. Learn all about the air you breath (and the respiratory organs that make it possible) here.

Related Topics: Smoking, Circulatory System, Vaping, Pollution

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Exquisitely Preserved Lungs from 120 Million Years Ago Stun Scientists Studying Early Bird

October 19, 2018 | Article

Ancient organs rarely fossilize, so paleontologists were stunned to find the incredibly well-preserved remains of a lung that belonged to bird from the dinosaur age, a new study finds.
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Does Drinking Milk Make Your Body Produce More Mucus?

September 07, 2018 | Article

A persistent myth about milk — that drinking it can lead to the production of more gooey mucus in your body's airways — is completely false, a new review finds.
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This Man Went 5 Days with a Chicken Bone Stuck in His Lung

May 03, 2018 | Article

It really did go down the wrong pipe.
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This Pouched Rat Can Sniff Out Tuberculosis in Kids

April 10, 2018 | Article

Tuberculosis is both deadly and difficult to test for. But a new paper suggests rats might make the illness easier to sniff out.
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No, One Sick Passenger Won't Infect Everyone on the Plane

March 19, 2018 | Article

Finally, some good news about airplane travel.
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A Mysterious Lung Disease Is Striking Virginia Dentists

March 09, 2018 | Article

Health officials don't know what's behind this cluster of cases.
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Respiratory System: Facts, Function and Diseases

February 12, 2018 | Reference

Good air in, bad air out.
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Lungs: Facts, Function and Diseases

February 01, 2018 | Reference

Lungs are an important part of the respiratory system. Adults take 15 to 20 breaths a minute, which comes to around 20,000 breaths a day.
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It Looks Like the Flu, But Isn't: What Is Adenovirus?

January 30, 2018 | Article

The flu isn't the only virus that could leave you feeling feverish and generally miserable this winter.
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8 Ways That Air Pollution Can Harm Your Health

December 15, 2017 | Countdown

Toxic air can take an unexpected toll on physical and mental health.
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