Question

Why is the right kidney slightly lower in position compared to the left kidney?

Answer 1

Hint:Kidneys are bean shaped organs in the rear part of the body and help in excreting waste in the form of urine and filter the blood from impurities as well. One pair of kidneys is found retroperitoneally in the abdomen.

Complete answer:
First we will go through the basics of the kidney functions. The pair of kidneys are a part of the renal system/excretion system and are also integral in maintaining fluid balance and homeostasis apart from filtering the body system. The nephron is the functional and structural unit of the kidney and consists of mainly two parts- the renal corpuscle and the renal tubule. The entire organ system helps in regulating the blood pressure and certain hormones as well.
Now coming to the main question asked,

The liver is present on the right side of the human body and is the second largest organ. To accommodate for the liver, the right kidney is present slightly lower in position compared to the left one. (approximately 2-8cm lower). The liver is a large, heavy gland weighing roughly 1.2-1.5 kg and around 8 cm across in length which bulges out to the right side and tapers to the left. Whereas, on the left side the small sized spleen is not really going to cause any hindrance to the position of the left kidney. This modification was naturally selected due to the limited space in the abdominal cavity.

Note:A person might be able to survive on one kidney but the filtering process will be extremely slow which may lead to other fata effects. But the loss of both kidneys would allow the waste to keep on accumulating and the only way to regulate this process is thorough frequent dialysis.