Why Are Cells the Size They Are? Gravity May Be a Factor

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Why Are Cells the Size They Are? Gravity May Be a Factor

Posted by Unknown on Monday September 23, 2013 @03:57PM from the ten-meters-tall dept.

carmendrahl writes "Eukaryotic cells, which are defined by having a nucleus, rarely grow larger than 10 micrometers in diameter. Scientists know a few reasons why this is so. A new study suggests another reason — gravity. Studying egg cells from the frog Xenopus laevis, which reach as big as 1 mm across and are common research tools, Princeton researchers Marina Feric and Clifford Brangwynne noticed that the insides of the eggs' nuclei settled to the bottom when they disabled a mesh made from the cytoskeleton protein actin. They think the frog eggs evolved the mesh to counteract gravity, which according to their calculations becomes significant if cells get bigger than 10 micrometers in diameter."

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Think of the children! by ThatAblaze · 2013-09-23 16:00 · Score: 5, Funny

If I'm reading this correctly, it seems very possible that any children born in space would grow up to look like jabba the hut, since the whole gravety issue would no longer be a problem.
1. Re:Think of the children! by ShanghaiBill · 2013-09-23 16:10 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  If I'm reading this correctly, it seems very possible that any children born in space would grow up to look like jabba the hut, since the whole gravety issue would no longer be a problem.
  Except that it is easy to generate artificial gravity by rotating the space station.
2. Re:Think of the children! by fustakrakich · 2013-09-23 16:32 · Score: 1, Funny
  
  The vertigo will have you cleaning up a lot of puke.
  
  --
  “He’s not deformed, he’s just drunk!”
3. Re:Think of the children! by icebike · 2013-09-23 17:17 · Score: 4, Funny
  
  If I'm reading this correctly, it seems very possible that any children born in space would grow up to look like jabba the hut, since the whole gravety issue would no longer be a problem.
  Judging from what I see at Walmart, you don't have to go to space the see Jabba.
  The gravity problem is in evidence there as well.
  
  --
  Sig Battery depleted. Reverting to safe mode.
Conversion for the casual reader by pipatron · 2013-09-23 16:00 · Score: 2, Funny

And if it's not obvious (mainly for our SI-challenged readers), 10 micrometers equals 0.01 mm.

--
c++; /* this makes c bigger but returns the old value */
1. Re:Conversion for the casual reader by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-23 16:35 · Score: 5, Funny
  
  Or about 4.97096954 x 10e-8 furlongs
That isn't right by Anonymous Coward · 2013-09-23 17:04 · Score: 3, Funny

I know micrometers can vary in size, but it seems like 10 micrometers should be around thirty inches long.