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About This Quiz
Your body is like a team in which everyone needs to work together. Do you know all the players by name? Find out now with our quiz! (Note: Some multi-tasking organs may appear more than once).
I'm the hydraulic pump for the whole circulatory system.
Heart
How this tough workhorse of the circulatory system became the body's supposed emotional center ("trust your heart"), we'll never know. The heart is, in essence, a hydraulic pump.
Pancreas
Liver
Spleen
I detoxify your blood after a night out.
Liver
This organ is the body's powerhouse detoxifier. But heavy, long-term drinking can overwhelm its powers, so take it easy at the bar!
Lungs
Lymph nodes
Stomach
I bring the world into clear focus.
Pancreas
Larynx
Lens
The lens of your eye is not unlike the lens of a telescope. It's a clear, slightly-convex object through which light passes and is focused.
Thymus
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Keep me happy if you don't want to get "hangry."
Diaphragm
Kidney
Lung
Stomach
The stomach is one of the better-known organs of the human body. It's a myth that it shrinks when you start eating less, but your appetite might.
I work in a similar way to the lens.
Amygdala
Cornea
The cornea is like an exterior lens on the surface of the eyeball, that refracts and focuses light. Fun fact: The cornea is the only organ that can be donated without pre-mortem permission.
Optical nerve
Pharynx
We work closely with our good friend, the liver.
The adrenal glands
The kidneys
The liver and kidneys work hand-in-hand (so to speak) to clear toxins from the body. When they're working properly, they render those "power juice cleanses" unnecessary. (And when they're not, a "cleanse" isn't going to help, anyway!)
The ureters
The testes
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I give life its flavor!
Esophagus
Pancreas
Retina
Tongue
The tongue gives us the sense of taste, via the tastebuds (sometimes defined as organs on their own). Fun fact: It's a myth that there are only five senses. Others include the sensation of heat and cold, or proprioception, the awareness of one's balance.
If I start breaking down, you might have acid reflux.
Adrenal gland
Esophagus
The esophagus is the passage through which food passes from the mouth to the stomach; it contracts rhythmically to aid this downward movement. To avoid the acid reflux that can come from age-related wear and tear on this organ, be moderate in your consumption of caffeine, alcohol, chocolate, peppermint, citrus, and tomatoes.
Tarsal
Pancreas
Like the kidneys, I can get painful stones.
Heart
Gallbladder
The gallbladder produces bile, which aids in the digestion of fats. Gallstones, usually made of hardened cholesterol, sometimes require the removal of the gallbladder.
Ovaries
Parathyroid
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We exchange oxygen for carbon dioxide.
Kidneys
Lungs
The lungs are another of the body's "name brand" organs; the kind you learn about in grade school. They are not actually made like balloons, but rather are like honeycombs, filled with branching vessels.
Retinas
Adrenal glands
I support the lungs from underneath.
Bladder
Diaphragm
Technically, this is known as the thoracic diaphragm, as there are other diaphragms in the body. Singers -- especially opera singers -- rely on a powerful thoracic diaphragm. It gives them the breath control they need for those demanding arias.
Uterus
Stomach
Sorry guys, only women have one of these!
Brain
Duodenum
Hypothalamus
Uterus
If you said "brain," haha -- but it's the uterus, informally known as the womb.The uterus is about the size of a pear in a woman who has never been pregnant but expands to accommodate a growing fetus.
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Sorry ladies, only guys have one of these!
Brain
Adrenal gland
Prostate gland
If you said "brain," well, turnabout is fair play ... but it's the prostate gland. It's part of the male reproductive system.
Thymus
I'm more than just a storage tank for urine!
Bladder
The bladder is not exactly inert, like we tend to think of it. It's lined with smooth muscle that contracts to allow emptying.
Gallbladder
Scrotum
Uterus
I'm part of the immune system and can become swollen when unhealthy.
Hypothalamus
Lymph nodes
The lymph nodes are a kind of "canary in the coal mine" for the immune system. When they are inflamed or swollen, it is a sign of disease.
Metatarsal
Ovary
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We are critical to male fertility.
Adrenals
Islets of Langerhans
Ovaries
Testes
Testes are often removed from livestock. Castration causes an animal to become more docile and to gain weight (for slaughter) and prevents the undesirable breeding stock from impregnating females.
These are key to female fertility.
Adrenals
Amygdalae
Ovaries
The ovaries, like the testes in men, produce hormones that are important to sex drive and general vitality. For this reason, they are not removed as a contraception method, any more than a man would have his testes removed for that purpose.
Tarsals
I'm an immune organ that holds extra red blood cells for emergencies.
Lymph node
Parathyroid
Spleen
You can live without your spleen; an injury or illness can require its removal. But you'll have to keep an eye on your blood-cell counts and watch out for certain cancers later in life.
Thyroid
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I'm the largest organ in the human body.
Brain
Liver
Heart
Skin
It's easy to forget that the skin is an organ -- it seems inert, like hair. But skin is alive and vulnerable to diseases like cancer (so don't forget your sunscreen!).
Graves' disease and Hashimoto's disease are two of my common disorders.
Brain
Kidneys
Small intestine
Thyroid
Among endocrine disorders, thyroid problems are among the most common and well-known. Thyroid function is often what doctors check first in cases of unexplained weight gain or loss.
I produce insulin to keep your blood sugar stable.
Pituitary gland
Liver
Pancreas
Like the pituitary, the pancreas is a gland. When it malfunctions, the result is usually diabetes.
Stomach
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I am the command center of the body!
Brain
The brain is probably the most enigmatic of the human organs; its shape and structure give no hint as to what it does. That's why the ancient Egyptians did not embalm it along with the other organs. They discarded it because it looked like nothing more than packing material to support the skull.
Heart
Stomach
Thymus
If you're unusually brave, you might give one of these to someone in need.
Amygdalae
Kidneys
Since humans have two kidneys, people give them to siblings or other family members. Others have even given kidneys to strangers when they were biologically compatible. Now that's altruism!
Ovaries
Testes
I lie between the stomach and large intestine.
Duodenum
Pericardium
Small intestine
The name "small intestine" is a misnomer. Laid flat, it would measure about nine to ten feet long. (Do not try this at home!)
Thymus
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I'm part of both the digestive and the excretory system.
Esophagus
Large intestine
The large intestine is actually shorter than the small intestine, at about five feet. It includes the rectum, where feces is stored before excretion via the anal canal.
Small intestine
Neocortex
I have four chambers.
Heart
The four sections of the heart are the left and right atria (plural of "atrium") and the left and right ventricles. Contrary to what you may believe, a heart attack does not occur when the passages between these chambers get clogged with cholesterol -- rather, calcified cholesterol builds up inside the arteries of the heart muscle itself, weakening it until the heart does not work properly.
Kidney
Liver
Thyroid
Along with the bone marrow, I am part of the immune system.
Alveolus
Liver
Pituitary
Thymus
The thymus is located between the heart and the sternum (aka the breastbone). It produces T cells, which destroy foreign invaders.
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I am the home of the vocal chords.
Cornea
Larynx
The larynx is informally called the voice box. As you'd expect, it's located in the throat.
Retina
Tibia
Iodine deficiency causes me to work improperly.
Brain
Spleen
Stomach
Thyroid
Not-so-fun fact: People who live near nuclear power plants are often distributed iodine supplements by the utility company, to keep with their emergency supplies. This is because one effect of radiation exposure is thyroid cancer, and iodine supplements taken after an incident could be protective.
I can release glycogen stores when you need a burst of energy.
Heart
Liver
The liver is primarily known for its role in detoxification, but it also releases glycogen (a simple-sugar energy source) in times of need. Glycogen is also stored in other parts of the body, especially the muscles.
Salivary glands
Spleen
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We live on top of the kidneys.
Adrenals
The adrenal glands give their name to adrenalin. However, they also produce lesser-known hormones like aldosterone.
Amygdalae
Ovaries
Testes
I'm tiny but powerful -- about the size of a pea.
Hippocampus
Neocortex
Pituitary gland
Some people call the pituitary, located in the brain just under the hypothalamus, the "master gland" for its power over key bodily functions like blood pressure, thyroid function and more. This might, though, undervalue the role played by other endocrine organs.
Thyroid gland
In antiquity, I was thought to produce a "humor" that made people sad.
Kidney
Liver
Spleen
"Splenetic" people were said to be melancholy or moody. This was part of the "four humors" theory of health, which suggested that a dominant "humor" (bodily substance) was not only the root of physical health but of one's disposition.
Tongue
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I produce a hormone essential to sleep.
Thalamus
Medulla
Pineal gland
The pineal gland produces melatonin, which regulates sleep. The pineal gland also secretes small amounts of DMT -- which, in larger quantities, is a powerful hallucinogen. Partly for this reason, the pineal gland fascinates New Age writers.
Thyroid
My regions include the dentate gyrus and medulla oblongata.
Brain
There is more than one way to divide and label the brain. The most complex is in many neurological regions like the two listed above. On the (far) other end of the spectrum is the "left brain/right brain" division. While the brain does have a left and right hemisphere, theories about how one hemisphere dictates personality have been discarded as pseudoscience.
Liver
Heart
Stomach
I am thought of as the brain's "fear center."
Amygdala
There are actually two amygdalae, which are almond-shaped glands within the brain that regulate fear arousal. But it's common to refer to "the amygdala," singular.
Hippocampus
Neocortex
Thyroid
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