The largest cell is the egg cell and measures about 100 micrometers (I think), the size of a pencil dot on a piece of paper. Which is the smallest and how much does it measure?
2006-06-05 15:55:24 · 4 answers · asked by geniusflightnurse 4 in Science & Mathematics ➔ Zoology
Ah but pity the poor sperm cell! It only exists to carry that package.
No mitochondria from the sperm ever enter the egg; thus, mitochondrial DNA is all from the mother. We can trace all of our mitochondria back to the primordial Eve, the mother of us all. Isn't that smurfy!?
Actually, some nerve cells are smaller in diameter but the sperm is the smallest in volume since those nerve cells have long "processes" (stringy bits).
2006-06-06 09:43:54 · answer #1 · answered by NeoArt 6 · 2⤊ 1⤋
Foundation is right, the smalles cell is the sperm cell. Not to take away from his/her answer, but in addition: sperm cells in humans are small for a particular reason. Their nuclei, the place that contains the genetic material, is highly condensed. In a process called spermiogenesis the DNA is repeatedly wrapped up, tihtened, and packed closer and closer, so that at the end the nucleic material is a very, very dense package. Simultaneously, the cell organelles otherwise typical for cells in the body are reduced and the shape of the cell is altered. A flagellum, or tail, is formed, and at its basis a few mitochondria are kept as the motors to drive the flagellum. By means of this flagellum, the sperm cell can then swim up the uterus to meet the egg cell and fertilize it. This is exactly the reason why the cell is so small: It is necessary for the sperm cell to move and to move a long distance. To achieve this goal it has to be light, so that the fuel produced by the mitochondria will suffice to reach the target area. I hope this helps.
2006-06-06 04:21:00 · answer #2 · answered by oputz 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
This is an interesting point that you pose. However, you must realize that a major theme in biology and all sciences, for that matter, is emergent properties. Often, while one individual component of a system cannot function, the assemblage of many components can create a functioning system. If you treat the organism as the system, you will realize that an individual cell is simply a component, one that depends on chemical signals and resources from its surroundings to survive. Does a given cell have some level of intelligence? Sure, but it depends on how you define intelligence. It certainly cannot reason without its counterparts, but it can perform many functions when accompanied by other structures. The idea you pose is one that has sparked a debate over whether a virus is a living being. It has emergent properties that can only be seen when it inhabits a host and can harness its resources. However, a virus, like a cell, has the potential to perform complex functions. For me, however, I like to always consider the larger picture, the totality of all the factors that allow these properties to emerge.
2016-03-27 04:06:46 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
The smallest cell is the sperm cell. It is one-tenth the diameter of a human hair.
2006-06-05 15:59:40 · answer #4 · answered by foundation 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋