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WHAT IS RED BLOOD CORPECELLS

A red blood cell, or erythrocyte, is the most common type of cell in blood. It carries oxygen throughout the circulatory system, from the lungs to the rest of the body, and brings carbon dioxide waste back the other way. All of the body's tissues are dependent upon oxygen from these cells — if the flow is cut off, the tissue dies. There are several medical conditions associated with red blood cells specifically, including sickle-cell anemia, thalassemia, and spherocytosis, but changes in the amount of these cells can also be a sign of other disorders.

Function
The main purpose of red blood cells is to transport oxygen and carbon dioxide through the circulatory system. The reason they can do this is that they contain an iron-containing protein called hemoglobin, which binds to oxygen. When the oxygen and the hemoglobin combine, they cause the cells to become bright red. This is why blood looks red when it goes outside of the body as well — when exposed to the open through a cut, the cells become exposed to a lot of atmospheric oxygen. Once all the oxygen connected to the cells is used up, then they collect carbon dioxide and other waste gases from the body and bring it back to the lungs, where they swap it for oxygen and start the cycle again.


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