There are two lungs in human body – the right lung and the left lung. These two lungs together weigh 2.9 pounds of 1.3 kilograms. The left lung is lighter than the right lung.
The left lung has two lobes and is slightly smaller than the right lung. The right lung on the other hand has three lobes.
Human lungs, just like the heart, are protected by the rib cage in chest. The lungs are connected to the spinal cord and the chest bone (or sternum).
Our lungs have taste capabilities. A research in 2010 showed that human lungs contain taste receptors capable of detecting only bitter taste. Studies revealed that whenever these taste receptors encounter any kind of bitter taste, they help the airways to relax. This finding hence became a major area of study for treating asthma.
At the time of birth, a baby’s lungs are not inflated and are actually filled with a fluid that is secreted by the lungs. When the baby moves out of the birth canal, a sudden change in environment and temperature triggers the first breath which usually takes place 10 seconds after the baby is delivered from the birth canal.
Human lungs breathe in and out about 2,100 to 2,400 gallons (8,000 to 9,000 liters) of air every day.
No matter how hard we exhale, our lungs will always retain 1 litre of air in the airways. This makes the lungs only human organs that can float on water.
The rate at which the lungs inhale and exhale are directed by the brain. The brain is capable of sensing oxygen concentration in air and thereby increases or decreases respiration rate accordingly.
The exact same site where oxygen is absorbed by blood is also the site where carbon dioxide is absorbed by the lungs from the blood and this carbon dioxide is then removed from the body by exhaling.