๐ซ My body and food ๐ซ Body organs
Blood
๐ In short
Blood is a red liquid that flows through your body inside tubes called blood vessels. The heart pumps it to every cell, bringing oxygen and food and carrying waste away. We can't live without blood.
๐คฉ Did you know?
- An adult's body holds about 5 liters of blood.
- Donated blood can be kept chilled for between 21 and 49 days.
- The first voluntary blood donation took place in London in 1921.
- Blood cells are made inside bone marrow.
๐ Find out more
๐ What's in blood?
Blood has a pale yellow liquid called plasma, with lots of cells floating in it: red blood cells that carry oxygen, white blood cells that fight germs, and tiny platelets that stop bleeding.
๐ Why is blood red?
Red blood cells contain a substance called hemoglobin, which carries oxygen and gives blood its red color.
๐ก When you cut your finger
If you cut your finger, platelets gather at the wound and make a plug, then a dry covering called a scab forms and protects the cut until it heals.
๐ฏ Giving blood
Healthy adults give a little of their blood, which is kept in blood banks to help sick and injured people. Everyone has a blood group, like A, B or O, and groups must match for a transfusion.
๐ธ More pictures
๐งฉ Test yourself
1 What do red blood cells do?
2 What pumps blood around the body?
3 An adult's body holds about ?? liters of blood.
4 Which picture shows โBloodโ?