The Great Gas Swap · Lungs
Oxygen crosses in, carbon dioxide crosses out — at the same time.
At the alveolar wall, two gases pass each other going opposite directions: oxygen moving from air into blood, carbon dioxide moving from blood into air. Both happen at once, in the same place, in under a second.
There's more: oxygen crosses in, carbon dioxide crosses out — at the same time. The full explanation — and the interactive version you can tap and quiz yourself on — lives in the app.
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