• Question: why can we not breathe underwater?

    Asked by Hasafan to Lydia on 21 Nov 2014.
    • Photo: Lydia Bach

      Lydia Bach answered on 21 Nov 2014:

      Hello,

      we can’t breather under water because we have lungs, which can only take up oxygen from air, but not from water.

      The oxygen dissolved in water is useless to our lungs because we don’t have the structures to deal with it.
      Unlike fish, which can “breathe” oxygen dissolved in water with the help of their gills!

      On the plus side, scuba diving allows us to breathe air under water now! 🙂

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