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Activity 5: The Digestive System 👄💩

The digestive system is the biological system responsible for providing the body with the energy and building blocks it requires to maintain life. This is through the breaking down the food that we eat into nutrients needed for the body’s metabolic processes. 

🦷 Tooth: a structure covered in enamel, the hardest substance in the body. It is used for masticating food into smaller pieces to help in the digestion process.

👅 Tongue: a muscular organ that helps swallow food, as well as taste perception.

👄 Esophagus: a muscular tube that transports swallowed food from the throat to the stomach.

👄 Epiglottis: a flap of tissue that prevents food from entering the airways upon swallowing.

🩸 Liver: a vital organ responsible for processing nutrients and detoxification, and producing bile.

🍚 Stomach: a muscular organ that churns and mixes food with gastric juices to begin digestion.

💩 Small Intestine: a long tube where most nutrient absorption takes place.

💩 Appendix: a small pouch that aids in the immune response. It serves as a secondary lymphoid organ that help maintain a healthy gut microbiome. 

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References:
Marieb, E. N., & Keller, S. M. (2017). Essentials of Human Anatomy & Physiology (12th ed.). Pearson.
Tortora, G. J., & Derrickson, B. H. (2011). Principles of Anatomy and Physiology (13th ed.). Wiley.
VanPutte, C. L., Regan, J. L., & Russo, A. F. (2019). Seeley’s Anatomy & Physiology (12th ed.). McGraw Hill Education.