Post AcJB99NANK7WTFQdMG by danielquinn@mastodon.social
 (DIR) More posts by danielquinn@mastodon.social
 (DIR) Post #AcJB99NANK7WTFQdMG by danielquinn@mastodon.social
       2023-11-29T18:55:57Z
       
       0 likes, 0 repeats
       
       Biologists of Mastodon, care to answer a dumb question?  Here it is: Why do we breathe?Like seriously, if it's O₂ going in, and CO₂ coming out, isn't the O₂ just serving as a carbon courier?  Or is there something more interesting/elaborate going on where we actually use the O₂ to do something and the CO₂ is a byproduct?  If it's the latter, what is it?My whole life I thought I understood how this works, but my 4 year old asks one question and suddenly I'm confronted by my ignorance.
       
 (DIR) Post #AcJB9AFl6LmzCYyES0 by kravietz@agora.echelon.pl
       2023-11-29T19:26:53.257679Z
       
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       @danielquinn Chemically, it’s oxidation of glucose with O₂ into water and CO₂, which produces energy.Physically, breathing is just mechanical ventilation of lungs, where air diffuses through cellular membranes, where O₂ is chemically bound in blood, which then delivers it to cells.Then CO₂ goes back the same way :)
       
 (DIR) Post #AcJBnB6fLdgNQonVE8 by danielquinn@mastodon.social
       2023-11-29T19:32:44Z
       
       1 likes, 0 repeats
       
       @kravietz yeah I was familiar with mechanical ventilation, but the question of what was actually being done with the O₂ was what stumped me.  Thanks!