ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Kidney development

Alright kiddo, let's learn about kidney development!

First, you need to know what kidneys are. They are two small, bean-shaped organs that are located in the lower back of your body. They help clean your blood and remove waste products from your body.

Now, let's talk about how kidneys are made. When a baby is growing inside the mother's belly, the kidneys start to form around week 5 of pregnancy. This happens when tiny cells in the baby's body start to grow and divide. These cells eventually form two groups, one on either side of the baby's spine, and become the kidneys.

As the kidneys continue to grow, they start to look more like the kidneys you and I have. They develop tiny tubes called nephrons, which are the working units of the kidney that filter waste products from the body. These nephrons are like tiny filters, and they help clean the blood as it flows through the kidneys.

Once the baby is born, their kidneys continue to grow and develop. They become larger and more efficient as the baby grows older. By the time a baby is one year old, their kidneys are about the same size as an adult's.

So, that's basically how kidneys develop. They start as tiny cells in the baby's body and develop into two bean-shaped organs that help clean the blood and remove waste products. Pretty cool, huh?