Protecting the Breathing System (Cambridge O Level Biology)

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Protecting the Breathing System

  • The passages down to the lungs are lined with ciliated epithelial cells
  • Cilia comes from the Latin for eyelash, so unsurprisingly these cells have tiny hairs on the end of them that beat and push mucus up the passages towards the nose and throat where it can be removed
  • The mucus is made by special mucus-producing cells called goblet cells because they are shaped like a goblet or cup
  • The mucus traps particles, pathogens like bacteria or viruses, and dust and prevents them from getting into the lungs and damaging the cells there

 The Action of Cilia Diagram

Ciliated Cells, IGCSE & GCSE Biology revision notesMucus traps particles, dust and pathogens and cilia beat and push it up and away from the lungs

Examiner Tip

The function of cilia and mucus could easily be a 3-mark question in an exam. The examiners are looking for you to state the following:

  1. The mucus is produced by goblet cells and traps bacteria, dust, particles
  2. The cilia beat
  3. And push the mucus away from the lungs towards the throat

This is quite simple, but often marks are lost as students haven’t been precise enough with their explanations!

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Phil

Author: Phil

Expertise: Biology

Phil has a BSc in Biochemistry from the University of Birmingham, followed by an MBA from Manchester Business School. He has 15 years of teaching and tutoring experience, teaching Biology in schools before becoming director of a growing tuition agency. He has also examined Biology for one of the leading UK exam boards. Phil has a particular passion for empowering students to overcome their fear of numbers in a scientific context.