Collagen, a structural and pliant protein, also plays an important role. Another factor in lung elasticity is surface tension. This is specific to the tiny sacs of the alveoli. Small and fragile, they ...

Take a deep breath. Now exhale. Congratulations! You've just done something completely ordinary, yet so mysterious that scientists still don't know everything about it. How oxygen and carbon dioxide ...

Stiff collagen and stretchy elastin fibers packed together in rows allow the respiratory system to stretch and snap back into shape. Scientists previously thought these fibers govern the mechanics of ...

Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is defined by emphysema and/or chronic bronchitis. It destroys the normal architecture of the lung and inhibits the mechanical aspects of breathing, which ...

June 18 -- WEDNESDAY, June 17 (HealthDay News) -- An enzyme involved in the development of emphysema also defends the lungs against bacterial infection, a new study finds. It had been thought that the ...

Q: I recently started going to a yoga class at our community center. We were doing deep breathing, and it felt like my lungs weren't filling up as much as they used to. Do your lungs get less elastic ...