The Respiratory System

BiologyMad’s “Breathing: ‘The Respiratory System’” covers all the basic scientific functions of the system in a straightforward, easy-to-follow tutorial. The site is probably most appropriate for middle school students, as well as anyone who wants to learn the basics of respiration.

ThinkQuest, a project of the Oracle Education Foundation, has a “Respiratory System” site with a concise overview that includes several easy-to-understand graphics.

Kimball’s Biology Pages is produced by John W. Kimball, Ph.D a retired biology and immunology professor who taught at Tufts and Harvard Universities. The site gives a clear explanation of the structures and functions involved in human respiration, enhanced by valuable photographs and illustrations. It also includes a link to a somewhat more technical site on gas exchange in the blood.

The Faculty of Biological Sciences at the University of Leeds presents “Introductory Anatomy: Respiratory System” by Dr. D.R. Johnson. This no-frills site covers all salient aspects of human respiration in a way that’s readable and brief yet thorough.

Inside the Human Body: The Respiratory System is an excellent educational site divided by grade level. Select a grade to link to several respiration-related topics, each of which uses cartoon characters and funny graphics and includes games and informational exercises. Don’t miss the “Mad Lab” feature, which includes a multitude of puzzles and games.

Indianapolis Marion County Public Library has a “Kids’ Info Guide” to human respiration that consists mainly of a basic diagram identifying all the parts of the respiratory system. Beneath this is a brief text description of the core concepts of respiration.

ThinkQuest , a project of the Oracle Education Foundation, uses bright graphics and a lizard as a tour guide to teach kids about the respiration in its “Welcome to the Respiratory System” site. Straightforward and informative text descriptions are accompanied by illustrations and fun facts, and keywords are linked directly to a glossary. ThinkQuest also has another fun site dedicated to the respiratory system. Of particular use in the classroom is the section entitled “Did you Know?” that explains unusual phenomena associated with human respiration.

Hillendale Elementary School’s “Health Curriculum” site gives young kids an introduction to the respiratory system by providing a simple and descriptive overview, a list of keywords, a glossary and a set of diagrams. It also includes descriptions of several phenomena related to the respiratory system including why we yawn and sneeze.

Eastern Kentucky University hosts a Web page on “Human Physiology—Respiration,” created by biology professor Gary Ritchison. The site provides an extensive presentation of the respiratory system using numerous illustrations, graphs and slides as well as links to other sites. In addition to discussing basic functions, the site approaches more technical concepts such as pressure gradients, biochemistry and biomechanics.

Respiratory Research is an open access, peer-reviewed, online journal that considers manuscripts on all aspects of respiratory function and disease. What sets it apart from most other peer-reviewed journals is that it provides free online access to the full-text all its articles.

Northeast Center for Special Care furnishes this list of about 40 top medical journals on various respiratory-related topics.

Geneva Foundation for Medical Education and Research lists numerous journals pertaining to the respiratory system and lung diseases along with information about what each one makes available for free (many provide completely free access).