Osmosis, where is there examples of this in our body and the importance of this?

Question

i'v e managed to get the defination of osmosis but can't think of an importance, and can't say to keep us alive help pls!!!!!!

Answer 1

First off, water and ONLY water can be transferred through osmosis, no oxygen or anything. Osmosis is the transfer of water through the plasma membrane of a cell. It regulates the mix of water, glucose, and salt in a cell. This is important because otherwise the cell would absorb too much water, explode and die, or let out all of its water,shrivel and die. So as you can probably tell, osmosis plays an important role in keeping a cell alive.

Answer 2

ok well i have 2 disagree with what people have been saying on here. What they have talking about is diffusion where i high concentration of molecules follows the concentration gradiant into a low area of concentration. EG oxygen diffuses through the 1 cell thick alvioli and and 1 cell thick capillary into blood with low concentration of oxygen as does CO2 that also moves from a high concentration into the low concentrated areas which are the alvioli to be then breathed out. Diffusion uses ficks law which is surface area x difference in concentration (divided by) thickness of membrane so ask ask u to dismiss some of the other answers.

Osmosis however is to do with water and its potential IE how pure a liquid is to water and if it contains a dilute substance to decrease its potential. So depending on the water potential of an area depends on where the osmosis happens. For instance one cup has plain water in and another has dissolved sugar in it. The cup with the plain water has a higher water potential because it isnt diluted where as the one with the sugar has been reduced because it has molecules of sugar flying around. So if a cell was put into a the pure water cup and because the cell has a lower water potential it takes on the water which causes it to burst. If the cell is put into the cup with sugar and the cell has a higher water potential water would leave the cell by osmosis causing it to shrivel and die. Apparently this is how antibiotics work i think because they change the water potential surrounding the germs but u probably already know this so what im going to tell u is the formation of tissue fluid vis osmiosis.

Blood that enters capillaries through the arterial end from the arteriole and enters the capillary under high pressure. This causes small molecules such as water and sugars etc to be squeezed through the capillary into tissue thus lowering the water potential in the capilleries leaving only large molecules like proteins and white blood cells and less water. As the pressure of the blood being forced through the capillary drops the osmotic pressure ends up higher towards the venus end causing water to squeezeback in2 the capilleries from the tissue which then increases the water potential as there is more water there. Both of them instances of water passing through the capillery is osmosis.

I hope this helps u in some way my friend and if ya need any more help just holla.

Take care my friend and good luck

Answer 3

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Osmosis, where is there examples of this in our body and the importance of this?
i'v e managed to get the defination of osmosis but can't think of an importance, and can't say to keep us alive help pls!!!!!!

Answer 4

the answers about oxygen and the lungs are completely wrong. Osmosis is the diffusion of water across a membrane, from high conc. to low conc. the best example of this is in cell membranes.

Answer 5

Osmosis it the primary function of the liver and kidneys.
The stronger solution attracts the weaker solution so in your kidneys the stronger waste products (P**s) extract the weaker products from your blood.
The liver works more or less the same way but tends to balance the blood chemicals more.

Answer 6

osmosis is the diffusion of WATER from a high concentration of water to a low concentration of water through a selectively permeable (cell) membrane.

It is important in our Kidneys as the Kidneys filter the blood and removes excess salts from out body, as well as extra water and other waste products.

It is also important as animal cells having no cell wall (like plants) can burst if it they become to full with water.

Answer 7

I think the kidneys are a good example of osmosis.
If the membranes that filter your blood become ineffective you would be dead in a few weeks or less.

Answer 8

In the loop of Henle in the medula of the kidney water is reabsorbed back into the blood stream at a reabsorbtion rate of around 98%. If this did not occur we would die of dehydration as we would be constantly going to the toilet with super dilute urine. Even a small change in the reabsorbtion rate can cause severe health implications.

Answer 9

through cell membranes

and many of the above replies incorrectly refer to diffusion instead of osmosis , osmosis specifically refers to WATER moving across a semi-permeable membrane (like a cell membrane)

Answer 10

Yes, Osmosis is the process whereby water in cells or tissues moves across a semipermeable membrane, from an area of high osmotic potential to an area of low osmotic potential.

Note:
From now on I am giving a thumbs down to anyone who has bad grammar, unless their answer is exceptionally good.