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The Kidneys

The kidneys are a pair of red-brown organs attached to the back of the abdominal cavity. They play a role in osmoregulation - regulation of water balance - and the excretion of nitrogenous waste such as urea.The kidney filters blood from the renal artery at a rate of 180dm³ a day. Blood is returned to the heart via the renal vein. The filtrate is collected by the collecting ducts and removed from the kidneys through the ureters and stored in the bladder. Urine passes out of the body through the urethra.

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Specification: AQA Biology (7402), A-level, 3.6.4.3 Control of blood water potential. Topic: Homeostasis.

Key terms in this lesson

allele: One of two or more alternative versions of a gene, occupying the same locus on homologous chromosomes.
polymerase chain reaction: A technique for rapidly amplifying small amounts of DNA in vitro, using repeated cycles of denaturation, primer annealing and extension by a heat-stable DNA polymerase.
dna hybridisation: The binding of a single strand of DNA, or RNA, to another strand with a complementary base sequence, forming a double-stranded hybrid.

More in Homeostasis

All 33 lessons in Homeostasis · All AQA A-level Biology topics