I know your heart pumps and the blood gets moved along in veins and arteries and etc, but if the blood is just circulating throughout a tunnel, how does it reach your organs, muscles, etc....
It sounds like a dumb question but they never told us in school throughout the years
2007-11-26 11:28:26 · 5 answers · asked by ? 5 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Biology
to give blood- are you a biologist? cuase i personally could NEVER remember something for that long
2007-11-26 18:15:08 · update #1
Capillaries
The veins and arteries subdivide to capillaries, which are microscopic vessels that go down to the diameter of individual blood cells. These capillaries penetrate the entire body to serve all of its cells.
According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blood_vessel
"Capillaries consist of little more than a layer of endothelium and occasional connective tissue."
That's why the human body contains miles of veins and arteries. As you know the arteries carry the oxygen and nutrients to the body and the veins carry off the waste.
According to Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Capillary
"Capillaries are the smallest of a body's blood vessels, measuring 5-10 μm in diameter, which connect arterioles and venules, and are important for the interchange of oxygen, carbon dioxide, and other substances between blood and tissue cells.
The walls of capillaries are composed of only a single layer of cells, the endothelium. This layer is so thin that molecules such as oxygen, water and lipids can pass through them by diffusion and enter the tissues. Waste products such as carbon dioxide and urea can diffuse back into the blood to be carried away for removal from the body. Capillaries are so small the blood cells need to pass through it in a single file line."
To many this may seem like a stupid question, but as my Drill Instuctor told us the only stupid questions are the ones that are never asked. I learned this fact years ago, and you might have learned it as well and just forgot it. I am happy to remind you, that is the purpose of this board--not to toss insults at each other.
2007-11-26 11:39:52 · answer #1 · answered by Dan S 7 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Your body has capillaries (very very small veins and arteries) that are attached to the smallest veins and arteries. Only one cell can go through at a time starting from the arteries. It exchanges the 02 and nutrients in the cell at this point. After the exchange is made the cell enters the veins where it goes back to the heart.
Learned this 55 years ago in Biology class.
2007-11-26 19:38:54 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Arteries branch out and get smaller and smaller until they cover the entire body. The blood mostly goes into small capillaries and then returns to the heart by the way of veins where it starts over again. It is in the capillaries which are very small tunnels or tubes that oxygen and nutrients can be transfered to all the body parts.
2007-11-26 19:33:40 · answer #3 · answered by bravozulu 7 · 1⤊ 0⤋
I'm not a biologist but I believe that the blood vessels get really small and the blood cells are able to pass oxygen and nutrients through the vessel walls.
2007-11-26 19:35:17 · answer #4 · answered by Joep 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
still through veins and arteries, your heart has veins and arteries on/in it too. Kinda confusing how that works. not sure i understand the question completely. sorry:(
2007-11-26 19:33:12 · answer #5 · answered by coconut1630 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋