Torso

This is a different kind of puzzle – can you put all the organs in their right places? They have evolved such that they can be squeezed together while still having a very large surface area. Why is this?

The lungs, heart, liver, intestines, kidneys and bladder are well organised and sit close together. The organs can push together, but still maintain a large surface area where blood can take up and deposit oxygen and nutrients. Without oxygen, the cells which are the building blocks of the whole body will die.

The lungs draw oxygen into the body. In order to absorb as much oxygen as possible from the air we breathe in, the surface of the lungs contains an advanced network of alveoli clusters. If all alveoli in the lungs were flattened out, they would cover a tennis court!

The lung absorbs oxygen into the blood. With help from the heart, the blood is pumped to all organs and body parts. Blood also absorbs the body’s waste products. Some are broken down with help from enzymes and other substances produced by the liver. When the blood passes through the intestine, it absorbs nutrients and substances. The substances the body does not want are filtered out by the kidneys and leave the body in your urine.