Transport in Cells and Cell Division
Ever wonder how nutrients get into your cells or how you grow? It all comes down to three key transport processes that are happening in your body right now.
Diffusion is the net movement of particles from high to low concentration - think of how perfume spreads across a room. Temperature, concentration gradient, and surface area all affect how fast this happens. Your small intestine is brilliant at this because it has a massive surface area and thin walls.
Osmosis works similarly but specifically moves water molecules across partially permeable membranes from dilute to concentrated solutions. Active transport is different - it uses energy from respiration to move particles from low to high concentration, like root hair cells absorbing minerals.
Your chromosomes carry thousands of genes and come in 23 pairs in human body cells. Stem cells are undifferentiated cells that can become different cell types - embryonic ones can become any cell type, whilst adult stem cells are more limited. The cell cycle involves growth, DNA copying during synthesis, then mitosis where one cell divides into two identical daughter cells.
Key Practical: Test how different sugar concentrations affect potato tissue mass by placing equal-sized pieces in various solutions for 2 hours, then measuring the changes.
