Lung

The lung is the essential organ of respiration in air-breathing vertebrates.

Related Topics:
Respiration - Vertebrate

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Its principal function is to transport oxygen from the atmosphere into the bloodstream, and excrete carbon dioxide from the bloodstream into the atmosphere. This it accomplishes with its mosaic of specialized cells that form millions of tiny, exceptionally thin-walled air sacs where gas exchange takes place. Lungs also have nonrespiratory functions.

Related Topics:
Oxygen - Carbon dioxide - Gas exchange

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Medical terms related to the lung often begin with pulmo-, from the Latin pulmonarius ("of the lungs"), cognate with the Greek pleumon ("lung").

Related Topics:
Latin - Greek

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