The Human Body

Bones, organs, blood and the brain: the basic anatomy everyone should know about the body they live in.

A practical tour of your own body: the medical names of bones you already know by their common names, what each organ does, how blood carries oxygen, and which parts of the brain do what. A few myths are mixed in as true-or-false cards, since unlearning a wrong fact is as useful as learning a right one.

All 41 cards

  1. What is the largest organ of the human body?

    Skin(also The skin)

  2. What is the largest internal organ?

    Liver(also The liver)

    It does hundreds of jobs, from filtering toxins to storing energy, and can regrow after part of it is removed.

  3. An adult human skeleton has 206 bones.

    Babies are born with around 300; many fuse together as they grow.

  4. What is the longest bone in the body?

    Femur(also Thigh bone, Thighbone)

    The thigh bone, about a quarter of your height.

  5. What is the smallest bone in the body?

    Stapes(also Stirrup)

    In the middle ear, about 3 mm long.

  6. What is the clavicle’s common name?

    Collarbone(also Collar bone)

  7. What is the patella’s common name?

    Kneecap(also Knee cap)

  8. What is the scapula’s common name?

    Shoulder blade

  9. What is the sternum’s common name?

    Breastbone(also Breast bone)

  10. What is the tibia’s common name?

    Shinbone(also Shin bone, Shin)

  11. What is the mandible’s common name?

    Jawbone(also Jaw, Lower jaw, Jaw bone)

  12. What is the hardest substance in the human body?

    Tooth enamel(also Enamel)

  13. Tendon or ligament: which joins muscle to bone?

    Tendon. Ligaments join bone to bone.

  14. What is the largest muscle in the body?

    Gluteus maximus(also Glutes, Gluteus)

  15. How many chambers does the human heart have?

    4

    Two atria on top receive blood; two ventricles below pump it out.

  16. Which blood vessels carry blood away from the heart?

    Arteries(also Artery)

  17. Which blood vessels carry blood back to the heart?

    Veins(also Vein)

  18. A normal resting heart rate for adults is 60 to 100 beats a minute.

    Fit people are often lower; endurance athletes can be in the 40s.

  19. Normal body temperature is about 37 °C (98.6 °F).

    It varies by a degree or so between people and through the day.

  20. What do red blood cells do?

    Carry oxygen from the lungs to the rest of the body, bound to the protein haemoglobin.

  21. What do white blood cells do?

    Fight infection. They are the cells of the immune system.

  22. What do platelets do?

    Help blood clot, to stop bleeding.

  23. True or false: Blood in your veins is blue until it meets the air.

    False

    Blood is always red: darker when low on oxygen. Veins look blue because of how light passes through skin.

  24. What are the tiny air sacs in the lungs, where oxygen passes into the blood, called?

    Alveoli(also Alveolus)

  25. Which muscle under the lungs does most of the work of breathing?

    Diaphragm(also The diaphragm)

  26. Which organs filter the blood to make urine?

    Kidneys(also Kidney, The kidneys)

  27. Where are most nutrients from food absorbed?

    Small intestine(also The small intestine)

    About 6 metres long, lined with tiny folds that give it a huge surface area.

  28. Which organ stores the bile the liver makes?

    Gallbladder(also Gall bladder)

  29. Which organ makes insulin?

    Pancreas(also The pancreas)

  30. What does insulin do?

    Lets cells take in glucose from the blood, lowering blood sugar.

  31. Which gland in the neck sets the pace of metabolism?

    Thyroid(also Thyroid gland, The thyroid)

  32. Which vitamin does skin make when exposed to sunlight?

    Vitamin D

  33. Which part of the brain handles balance and coordination?

    Cerebellum(also The cerebellum)

  34. Which lobe of the brain mainly handles vision?

    Occipital lobe

    At the back of the head, as far from the eyes as it can be.

  35. What does the hippocampus do?

    Forms new long-term memories, and helps with finding your way around.

    Spaced reviews like these work partly by giving it the right moments to strengthen a memory.

  36. True or false: People only use about 10% of their brains.

    False

    Brain scans show activity throughout; even simple tasks involve many regions.

  37. What is the coloured part of the eye called?

    Iris(also The iris)

  38. What is the light-sensitive layer at the back of the eye called?

    Retina(also The retina)

  39. Which molecule carries genetic instructions?

    DNA(also Deoxyribonucleic acid)

  40. Human cells have 23 pairs of chromosomes.

  41. What are proteins built from?

    Amino acids(also Amino acid)