This story is part of a series exploring human anatomy and physiology complexities. Each story in this collection showcases discoveries reshaping our understanding of the body's inner workings, ...

The intestines work by absorbing nutrients and vitamins. They are part of the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Together, the small and large intestines run from the end of the stomach to the anus. In this ...

The small intestine is made up of the duodenum, jejunum, and ileum. Together with the esophagus, large intestine, and the stomach, it forms the gastrointestinal tract. In living humans, the small ...

The human small intestine is an essential organ that helps us absorb nutrients and vitamins from food. It is an average of 6 meters long and is covered with millions of villi that are separated by ...

DURING its absorption by the small intestine a substance leaves the bowel lumen, traverses the epithelial lining, passes through the connective-tissue stroma of the lamina propria and enters terminal ...