The heart continuously pumps blood to the kidneys for proper filtration. The blood travels from the aorta in the heart to the renal arteries in each of the kidneys. The renal artery branches into smaller arteries called the afferent arterioles. The blood travels from the afferent arterioles to the glomerulus, located in the nephron. The glomerulus is a cluster of small blood vessels where filtration of water and removal of waste occurs. The Bowman’s capsule is a round casing that contains the tiny blood vessels of the glomerulus. The water and waste separate from the blood like sifting through a sieve and collect into the capsule. Small sized particles (electrolytes, glucose, and small acids) can be filtered easily from the blood supply while larger particles (blood cells and proteins) are not filtered. The clean blood leaves the nephron through the efferent arterioles and joins larger vessels to return to the body. The waste and water travel through the hollow tubules of the nephron to form urine.
