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In humans and other mammals, the respiratory system consists of the airways, the lungs, and the respiratory muscles that mediate the movement of air into and out of the body. Within the alveolar system of the lungs, molecules of oxygen and carbon dioxide are passively exchanged, by diffusion, between the gaseous environment and the blood. Thus, the respiratory system facilitates oxygenation of the blood with a concomitant removal of carbon dioxide and other gaseous metabolic wastes from the circulation.[1] The system also helps to maintain the acid-base balance of the body through the efficient removal of carbon dioxide from the blood. In humans and other animals, the respiratory system can be conveniently subdivided into an upper respiratory tract and lower respiratory tract, trachea and lungs, or into the conducting zone (for gas transport, anywhere from atmosphere to alveoli) and the respiratory zone (the alveolated region where gas exchange occurs). The respiratory zone also contains the transitional zone. Air moves through the body in the following order The conducting zone begins with the nares (nostrils) of the nose, which open into the nasopharynx (nasal cavity). The primary functions of the nasal passages are to 1) filter, 2) warm, 3) moisten, and 4) provide resonance in speech. The nasopharynx opens into the oropharynx (behind the oral cavity). The oropharynx leads to the laryngopharynx, and empties into the larynx (voicebox), which contains the vocal cords, passing through the glottis, connecting to the trachea (wind pipe).
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