• Question: what is erythrocytes and where is it found?

    Asked by zarah246 to Dalya, Derek, Sarah, Tim, Tom on 19 Jun 2011.
    • Photo: Tim Millar

      Tim Millar answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Erythrocytes is another name for red blood cells. They live in the blood vessels and come from the bone marrow and have the job of transporting oxygen and carbon dioxide around the body.

      We have lots and are making more all the time. If you lived up avery tall mountain, you would make more erythrocytes to help take oxygen aropund the body, because we are not well adapted to life in the high (very high) mountains. Theres not enough atmosphere above our heads to push the air into our lungs (there is as much oxygen at the top of everest as there is at sea level – we just can’t get it into our blood so well)

    • Photo: Dalya Soond

      Dalya Soond answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Erythrocytes are also known as red blood cells. They deliver oxygen from the lungs around the body that the cells use to make ATP (adenosine triphosphate). ATP is a bit like petrol in that it gives power to the cell (like petrol does to cars). When using oxygen to make ATP, the cells give of Carbon dioxide, which the red blood cells take OUT of the blood stream and bring to the lungs, where we can breathe it out.

    • Photo: Sarah Thomas

      Sarah Thomas answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      I think Tim’s and Dalya’s answers are really good, so i’m not going to add anything! 🙂

    • Photo: Derek McKay-Bukowski

      Derek McKay-Bukowski answered on 13 Jun 2011:

      Hey, I had no idea what erythrocytes were (not something that comes up too often in my line of work). So, I’ve learned something too. Thanks for asking this question (and thanks to the other sci’s for the answer)!

    • Photo: Tom Crick

      Tom Crick answered on 19 Jun 2011:

      I did know that erythrocytes were red blood cells, but this question is not for a computer scientist — well done by the rest of Team Chromium!

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