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Additional
lungs
English Wikipedia - The Free Encyclopedia
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Lung
The
lungs
are the primary
organs of respiration
in humans and many other animals including a few
fish
and some
snails
. In
mammals
and most other
vertebrates
, two lungs are located near the
backbone
on either side of the
heart
. Their function in the
respiratory system
is to extract
oxygen
from the
atmosphere
and transfer it into the
bloodstream
, and to release
carbon dioxide
from the bloodstream into the atmosphere, in a process of
gas exchange
.
Respiration
is driven by different
muscular systems
in different species. Mammals,
reptiles
and
birds
use their
musculoskeletal systems
to support and foster
breathing
. In early
tetrapods
, air was driven into the lungs by the
pharyngeal muscles
via
buccal pumping
, a mechanism still seen in
amphibians
. In humans, the primary muscle that drives breathing is the
diaphragm
. The lungs also provide airflow that makes vocal sounds including human
speech
possible.
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