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Chest organ shrinks after puberty after establishing immune cell repertoire. The figure is taken from NIH, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.

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The thymus gland trains T-cells during early childhood

Chest organ shrinks after puberty after establishing immune cell repertoire

Located behind the sternum, the thymus gland plays a crucial role in developing adaptive immunity. During childhood, it educates immature T-lymphocytes to distinguish self-antigens from foreign invaders. After puberty, the thymus gradually shrinks and converts mostly into fatty tissue.

Where this comes from

NIH

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Tags: thymus, immunity, t-cells

The thymus gland trains T-cells during early childhood: the short answers

Where does this come from, and can I check it?: Chest organ shrinks after puberty after establishing immune cell repertoire. The figure is taken from NIH, which is linked in full on this page. Every fact on Mondo Knows names its source rather than repeating an unsourced claim.
Is this really a human body fact?: Yes. It sits on the Human Body shelf, one of 1,090 sourced facts grouped into space, animals, the human body, history, science and more. Category pages collect every fact in the same field.
What else can I read about it?: The links under the fact point to a quiz, game, puzzle or calculator on the same subject, and the shelf below shows related facts. The wording here is original, and quoted phrases are marked as quotations.