Script+Period+7+Joey+and+Abi


 * Abi**: The respiratory system is a complex system with bronchi, alveoli, and of course the lungs. Today we will be exploring the system in great depth. Everyone needs air to breathe and the respiratory system provides everyone with that function. Without respiration, no-one or nothing could survive so the system is necessary in everyone. I am Abi and this is Respiration 101.
 * Joey**: Hi, I am Joey and I will also be in tonight's program. As Abi said, the respiratory system is complex. First lets look at the parts in this section of the body. First off, you breathe through your nasal passages or your nose and your mouth. The air travels down the pharynx into the trachea which leads into the bronchi and the lungs.
 * Abi**: The pharynx is your throat. After the air you breathe passes through your nose or your mouth, it travels through the pharynx. The mouth and the nose connect to pharynx and the pharynx is also used in the digestive system. The epiglottis is a flap of connective tissue that stops food and fluid from going down the trachea and into the lungs.
 * Joey**: After the pharynx and at the top of the trachea comes the larynx. It is commonly known as the Adam's Apple or your voice box. Most of the larynx is made up of cartilage. When air moves down the pharynx, the larynx vibrates and makes you talk. The larynx is important because it gives communication skills and gives you the power to express your opinion.
 * Abi**: Next comes the trachea. Its common name is the windpipe. There are firm ridges of cartilage that strengthen and keep the trachea open. Only air can travel down it. When a person is choking, food is stuck in their trachea. The epiglottis keeps food from going down the trachea. The trachea is lined with cilia which are hairlike extensions and mucus which is a thick slippery substance.
 * Joey**: Here is the bronchi. They are passageways that lead directly into the lungs. The air flows from the trachea, through the bronchi, and into the lungs. Two bronchi- a left and a right one- lead into the lungs. The bronchi, as they get deeper, into the lungs separate and form new smaller bronchi. Many people say that all the bronchi in the lungs resemble an upside down tree.
 * Abi**: At the end of the smallest bronchi, is where you would find the alveoli. The alveoli are small sacs of lung tissue that move gases between the air and the blood. The air passes through the wall of the alveoli and into the capillary which is a tiny blood vessel. Water and carbon dioxide pass from the blood and back into the alveoli.
 * Joey**: The lungs are the main organ in the respiratory system. They hold the alveoli and the bronchi. The lungs needs a lot of air because there are a lot of alveoli.
 * Abi**: Underneath the lungs is the diaphragm which is a dome-shaped muscle that helps you breathe. When you breathe in, the diaphragm contracts and moves downward but the rib cage and the rib muscles contract and move outward. When you exhale, the opposite happens and all the muscles relax making the rib cage move inward.
 * Joey**: We all need to breathe and all the parts in this complicated system help us do so.
 * Abi**: And that concludes tonight's show. Thank you for watching Respiration 101.