April 30th – Your two kidneys are large filters within the urinary system. These fist-sized, bean-shaped organs perform many useful functions. Their main job is filtering blood to remove impurities and excess water. Over 1 liter of blood flows through the kidneys each minute! Kidneys also release hormones and help the body maintain a proper balance of water, sodium and other chemicals. Each kidney contains up to a million tiny filtering units called nephrons. Inside each nephron are tubules and glomerulus. Tubules collect urine. Glomerulus are tiny knots of blood vessels that filter waste from the bloodstream. As blood flows through the glomerulus, water and molecules pass through the sieve into the renal tubule. Useful chemicals are reabsorbed, and the rest are sent to the bladder as urine. While you may not like cleaning chores yourself, you should thank your kidneys. Every day they may clean over 400 gallons (1500 liters) of blood! #365DaysOfMicroscopy
