The human skeletal system is made up of bone and cartilage, which provide structure, protect internal organs, aid in movement, and produce red blood cells. There are two types of bone tissue, compact and spongy, and three types of cartilage, fibrocartilage, elastic, and hyaline. Hyaline cartilage is important in bone development and is found in the rib cage, joints, windpipe, bronchi, larynx, and nose.
The human skeletal system is mainly composed of two types of skeletal tissue, bone and cartilage. Bones provide structure for the human body and help protect internal organs from trauma. They also aid in the production of red blood cells, store minerals and support movement. Cartilage keeps bones connected, helps them move, and prevents frictional damage to the ends of joined bones. It provides flexible support and shapes external structures such as the nose and ears as well as internal structures such as the trachea.
Human bones come in a variety of shapes and sizes, but there are only two types of bone composition. Compact bone is the hardest and often most recognizable skeletal tissue. This type of bone tissue covers and protects the delicate internal structures of most bones. At the heart of many bones is a network of blood vessels and bone marrow that produces red blood cells. These exist within the channels of the second type of bone tissue, called spongy bone.
The human body contains three types of cartilage: fibrocartialge, elastic cartilage, and hyaline cartilage. Fibrocartilage is a specialized skeletal tissue that absorbs shock in areas of the body that are regularly compressed, such as the knee and spinal discs. It is the densest and strongest type of cartilage.
Elastic cartilage is generally considered to be the most flexible cartilage. Within the human body, this type of skeletal tissue is found primarily in the outer structure of the ear. It also makes up a small trapdoor-like structure, called the epiglottis, at the entrance to the larynx. The primary function of elastic cartilage is to hold its shape by adding support to its covering.
For a short time in human development, hyaline cartilage is the only skeletal tissue in the human body. It forms the temporary skeleton of human embryos and lays the foundation for bone development. Hyaline cartilage remains important in bone development in the form of rib cartilage in the rib cage and articular cartilage at the tips of the bones that form the joints. Both of these forms of hyaline cartilage aid in the smooth movement and uncomplicated growth of bones.
Hyaline cartilage is also a supportive skeletal tissue. The human windpipe, called the windpipe, and the structures that extend the windpipe into the lungs, called the bronchi, are composed of this type of cartilage. The larynx, or voice box, and the external structures of the human nose are also made up primarily of hyaline cartilage.
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