Since I am keeping this simple I won't go into much detail of how it is an area of our brain that controls respiration but it is suffice to know that when the diaphragm contracts (it is a large muscle that separates our chest from our abdomen) it increases the volume in our chest cavity. At the same time the little intercostal muscles between our ribs contract and lift up the rib cage. Because the air pressures are different and due to various natural scientific laws this draws in more air into our lungs and due to certain receptor nerve cells they send a signal back to our brain instigating the opposite, diaphragm relaxes and we breathe out carbon dioxide. It is the Alveoli (see diagram above) where the interchange of gases takes place into and out of the blood stream for surrounding these tiny little balloon structures are tiny blood vessels known as capillaries, these are merely one cell thick to facilitate the body's waste carbon dioxide to pass into the alveoli and the oxygen in the air in the alveoli to pass into the blood stream.
This happens continuously throughout our lives automatically the average healthy adult 12 to 18 respirations per minute. It's important to remember that each system of the body is dependent on the others to function as they all interact with one another eg. The brain stem controls respiration and respiration is vital to bring oxygen to the body's cells and remove waste and its specialised nerve receptor cells within the aorta that lets the brain know when to evoke inhalation.
You can also see in the diagram the left lung is slightly smaller than the right this is to allow for the heart. As we breathe in through our nose the air is moistened and the whole of the respiratory tract is covered in little hairs 'Cilia' these trap debris and help waft up mucus from the lungs. The Uvula is a fleshy piece of tissue that stops food going into our Trachea (wind pipe) and the trachea leads to the Bronchus which divides into two Bronchi eventually getting smaller and smaller to becoming Bronchioles to which are attached the Alveoli.
Incidentally smoking paralyses these little Cilia rendering them unable to function and they are not able to move the mucous up out of the lungs, this is what leads to the classic smokers' cough.
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