Heart vs lungs: how they differ, in 3D
The heart sits in the middle of the chest, slightly to the left, in the space between the two lungs called the mediastinum, while the lungs fill most of each side of the chest. The heart is a muscular pump that drives the blood, and the lungs are the breathing organs where oxygen and carbon dioxide pass between the air and the blood. The two are joined by the pulmonary arteries and veins, so blood sent out by the heart passes through the lungs and returns to the heart.
Frequently asked questions
Is the heart really on the left?
It sits in the middle of the chest, tilted to the left: about two thirds of the heart lies left of the midline, and its pointed apex faces down and to the left.
Why is the left lung smaller than the right?
Because the heart leans to the left and takes up room there. The left lung has a cardiac notch where the heart sits and only two lobes, while the right lung has three.
How are the heart and lungs connected?
The pulmonary trunk leaves the right ventricle and splits into the left and right pulmonary arteries, which carry blood to the lungs. Blood that has taken up oxygen returns through the pulmonary veins to the left atrium.
The organs compared
Parts to look at
Other organ comparisons
- Small intestine vs large intestine
- Liver vs pancreas
- Liver vs spleen
- Stomach vs pancreas
- Stomach vs small intestine
More comparisons
Read more
- The human skeleton in 3D
- BAHI BODY 3D human body
- Chronic Disease Is Systemic Breakdown: chapter summaries
- Blog
Related reading
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- Cold plunges and recovery: what happens when you step into cold water
- Whole-body cryotherapy: the evidence and the safety questions
- Microplastics in the body: where they’ve been found, and what we still don’t know
Once the 3D model loads you can turn it and select each part.