Gas Exchange

 The purpose of the lungs is to obtain oxygen from the air and deliver it to
the bloodstream to be transported to the rest of the body.
 When we breathe in, air enters through our mouth or nose, then travels
down the trachea (windpipe) and divides into two bronchi.
 The bronchi further divide into smaller branch-like structures called
bronchioles.
 Finally, the air reaches the alveoli, which are small sack-like structures
arranged like bunches of grapes. Alveoli are the sites of gas exchange.
 Each alveolus comprises a single layer of very thin cells, like the blood
capillaries next to them. This short diffusion pathway allows for the efficient
exchange of carbon dioxide and oxygen.
 Alveoli have a large surface area due to hundreds of millions of them in the
lungs. If spread out flat, they would cover half a tennis court.
 The alveolar walls are moist, allowing gases to dissolve and increasing the
diffusion rate.
 Oxygen diffuses from the alveoli into nearby capillary red blood cells,
replenishing the oxygen supply.
 Carbon dioxide, which is produced as a waste product by cells, diffuses from
the blood into the alveoli, where it can be exhaled.
 It is important to note that carbon dioxide is not carried by red blood cells
like oxygen; instead, it is dissolved in the blood plasma.