← The Human Body

Chapter 2

Bones and muscles

Your skeleton holds you up, protects your organs and makes your blood cells. Muscles move it: they can only pull, so they work in pairs, joined to the bones by tendons. Bone is living tissue: it is constantly broken down and rebuilt, it heals after a break, and it grows stronger when you load it, which is why walking, running and lifting keep it healthy as you age.

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  1. Number of bones in an adult206
  2. The longest bone in the bodyFemur
  3. The smallest bone in the bodyStapes
  4. The bones that make up the spineVertebrae
  5. Pairs of ribs in most people12
  6. The muscle type found only in the heartCardiac muscle
  7. The body's largest muscleGluteus maximus
  8. Tissue that joins a muscle to a boneTendon
  9. Where blood cells are madeBone marrow
  10. The mineral that makes bones hardCalcium