Ribs are the long curved bones which form the cage. In most vertebrates, ribs surround the chest, enabling the lungs to expand and thus facilitate breathing by expanding the chest cavity. They serve to protect the lungs, heart, and other internal organs of the thorax. Colonel Jack O'Neill broke a rib exiting the Beta Gate at high speed in Antarctica and complain of pain when Captain Samantha Carter laid on his chest. (SG1: "Solitudes")
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