What are red blood cells?
Red blood cells, also known as erythrocytes, deliver oxygen to the tissues in your body. Oxygen turns into energy and your tissues release carbon dioxide. Your red blood cells also transport carbon dioxide to your lungs for you to exhale.
Anatomy of Red Blood
Red blood cells develop in your body’s soft bone tissue (bone marrow) and release into your bloodstream after they fully mature, which takes about seven days.
What do red blood cells look like?
- Red blood cells are microscopic
- Have the shape of a flat disk or doughnut
- Don’t have a nucleus
What are red blood cells made of?
Red blood cells grow in your bone marrow. Bone marrow creates almost all of the cells in your body. Red blood cells contain a protein called hemoglobin, which is responsible for carrying oxygen.
Functions of red blood cells
- Red blood cells are responsible for transporting oxygen from your lungs to your body’s tissues. Your tissues produce energy with the oxygen and release a waste, identified as carbon dioxide.
- Your red blood cells take the carbon dioxide waste to your lungs for you to exhale
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