• Question: What is the bones made of?

    Asked by to Amar, Matt on 21 Mar 2014. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Amar Joshi

      Amar Joshi answered on 21 Mar 2014:


      Bones have many layers to them. When we think of bones we usually think that they are just hard white stick-like things. This is one of the main jobs they do. They hold us up and protect vital organ.

      The hard outer layer is made up of calcium phosphate integrated into collagen fibres.

      The inside of bones – the bone marrow – also has vital function. It is responsible for making your red blood cells!

    • Photo: Matthew Lam

      Matthew Lam answered on 21 Mar 2014:


      Bones are really interesting. They are a rigid organ which provide support for your organs and also produce vital cells such as red blood cells and white blood cells.

      The cells that make up your bones are called osteoblasts and osteoclasts. These cells help maintain the strength and structure of your bones and help repair bones if they get broken.

      It it fascinating if you compare bones of birds with bones of humans. Our bones are dense and heavy which makes them strong and good for support. Birds have hollow bones with lots of room for air. This makes the bones much lighter and allows the birds to fly.

      Bone contains lots of stem cells, which are cells that can go on to form any other cell in the body. The bone creates the perfect environment for stem cells which unfortunately means that a lot of cancers often spread to the bone. This is because cancer cels behave like stem cells and so are attracted to the comfortable environment in the bone.

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