A closeup view into our BONES ☠ . Many are surprised to learn that our bones are living, constantly being broken down and made up again. In fact, roughly 35% of bone is made of cells and the collagen they produce (collectively known as the "organic component" of bone). The other 65% are inorganic minerals (mainly calcium and phosphate) and are what give bones their strength 💪 . Osteoporosis refers to decreased bone density, specifically a loss of both the organic component and inorganic minerals in bone (unlike another familiar term, osteomalacia, which is a loss of the inorganic minerals alone). This decreased bone density weakens bones and predisposes us to fractures. Look out for our next post where we'll look into strategies to strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis later in life ☝️ . 📸: Science Photo Library, electron microscope