The esophagus and lungs are super important parts of our body that do different jobs. The esophagus is a long, stretchy tube that goes from your throat to your stomach. It’s about 8 to 10 inches long and has a smooth lining to help it work better. Its main job is to move food and drinks from your mouth down to your stomach. It does this through a process called peristalsis, where the muscles squeeze in a wave-like motion, making swallowing happen without us even thinking about it! There’s also a little muscle at the bottom called the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) that keeps food and stomach juices from coming back up.
On the other hand, the lungs are two sponge-like organs in our chest that help us breathe. They are protected by a thin layer called the pleura. The lungs do something really cool called gas exchange, where they take in oxygen (which we need to live) and get rid of carbon dioxide (something our body doesn’t need). This all happens in tiny air sacs called alveoli. Breathing in and out is mostly done by a muscle called the diaphragm that helps change the pressure in our chest so air can move in and out.
The lungs also help keep us safe by filtering out dust and germs and have special cells that fight infections. So, to sum it up, the esophagus helps us digest food by moving it to the stomach, while the lungs help us breathe by taking in air and pushing it out. Both of these organs are super important for keeping us alive!