The Hidden Physics Behind Your Breath

You breath all the time, whether you think about it or not. But how does that even work? And what is breathing for? Patrick’s got all the answers to your oxygen-deprived questions in this episode. And yeah, there’s physics involved.

So far, we’ve discussed blood a lot in this series, but take a deep breath in and exhale because in this episode we are exploring the respiratory system.

Breathing is one of the few things we do continuously, every day, without thinking about it.

Our bodies, like other vertebrates, depend on oxygen to run our normal aerobic metabolisms. And though some of our bodily processes happen without oxygen, we still need to burn some oxygen in order to really take advantage of the food we eat. Meaning at some point, we need to start pulling oxygen from the air and depositing it into our red blood cells.

And this biological process really depends on nothing other than good old physics. Those ideal gas laws you might have learned in high school? Dalton’s law? We see a beautiful example of them in the simple act of taking a breath.

Find out more about all the hardware involved in breathing; why oxygen is so important; and how we pluck it from the air around us in this Human.

#breathing #lungs #respiratory #health #human #seeker #physics #science

Read More:
How the Lungs Work
“Your lungs are a pair of pyramid-shaped organs inside your chest that allow your body to take in oxygen from the air. They have a spongy texture and are pinkish-gray in color. The lungs bring oxygen into the body when breathing in and send carbon dioxide out of the body when breathing out. Carbon dioxide is a waste gas produced by the cells of the body.”

Respiratory System: Our Avenue for Gas Exchange
“The human respiratory system is a series of organs responsible for taking in oxygen and expelling carbon dioxide. The primary organs of the respiratory system are the lungs, which carry out this exchange of gases as we breathe.”

Anatomy of the Respiratory System
“The lungs take in oxygen. The cells of your body's cells need oxygen to live and carry out their normal functions. The lungs also get rid of carbon dioxide, a waste product of the cells.”

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This Seeker health miniseries will dive deep into the cellular structures, human systems, and overall anatomy that work together to keep our bodies going. Using the visual structure and quick pacing of Seeker’s Sick series, these human bio-focused episodes will give a new audience an inside look on what’s happening inside all of us.

[ravensinger]

If your lungs are full of ravioli, you're in serious trouble.

[petercarioscia]

Oh fantastic, now I'm thinking about breathing. And getting light headed from taking deep breaths

[OSKESIS]

We love this new U dare not replace him Seeker !!! U dare not!!!! God bless ur team for such info

[sanjit]

Thank you, seeker, for explaining one of the complex topics of lungs and physics.

[arvindiyer]

Dang! I needed this for my bio exam today. The exact same things in my textbook but explained in a much more fun way. I can totally relate and connect to this. Thank you Seeker!

[agi]

I really like the explanation by this person it's clear and understandable.

[yashspr]

Awesome. Eagerly waiting for the next one!!

[TheFinktron]

I love your series. One thing I want to mention on this episode. I know you are limited on time, but you did not mention the importance of the intercostal muscles working with the diaphragm. My daughter was born without skeletal muscle, so she had no intercostal. She used her stomach to assist the diaphragm, making her a “belly breather.” Because she would tire very easily, she was on a ventilator at night to help her rest.

[asvarien]

I suffer anxiety a lot which often brings with it awareness of one's breathing and as soon as you are aware of it you have to start doing it consciously.

[darkenergy]

The things you make are so great! I want to show these in class for students to learn better! :D

[clyderomijn]

For 9 minutes and 18 seconds I couldn't stop thinking about how to breath

[TheDriesvr]

thank you. i'm a teacher and this realy helps me becouse i need to teach how our body breathes so thanks alot!

[Perspectologist]

I really like this series. It is very well done.

[hugeturd]

im wayy too high for this dont remind me to breathe all the time

[RicardoDizonLefthanded]

It's amazing observing you talking while breathing.

[floatingisland]

That was an interesting watch! I hope you will do a video about iron soon. Tell us exactly what happens when you have too little and when you have too much.

[heliumhead]

7:58 Please let this be a normal field trip.

[waheguruwaheguru]

Awesome animation 🌴 & explaination 👌 TKS 🙏

[devynwiggins]

Him: breathing is one of the things we least think about

me coming to this video because I was thinking about myself breathing 😂

[hoezhiwan]

Silly question but at the last part about partial pressure. I don't quite understand, won't our body rid of the carbon dioxide entirely, so that means our body constantly have carbon dioxide left even after breathing it out? I thought carbon dioxide is toxic though. Sorry if this is stupid