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Who’s cells are bigger, a newborn infant’s or that baby’s parents’? You might think that the parents have larger cells, because their bodies are bigger. But the truth is, that both the infant and its parents have cells that are pretty much the same size. However, the parents have a lot more cells. |
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As you grow, your cells do not get bigger. Instead, they divide, creating new cells. The larger you grow, the more cells you have. Why don’t cells grow very large? The answer to this question lies in the cell’s outer membrane. The job of the membrane is to protect the cell from outside danger, while allowing food to enter through openings and waste to exit. |
If a cell were to grow too large, the cellular membrane could not keep up with it. It would not be able to get enough food in nor would it be able to get all the waste out. As a cell grows, one of two things must happen. It must either divide, forming two new cells, or it must die.
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How Do Cells Divide? What would happen if you cut a frog in half? Would you have two live frogs? Depending on where you cut, each half would be missing important pieces that keep the frog alive. Likewise, when a cell divides, it is important that each new cell get all the pieces. Otherwise, instead of two working cells, you would only have two halves, each missing important parts. |
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As a cell prepares to divide, it must first replicate all of its important parts so that both of the new cells have everything they need. The most important organelle is the brain, or nucleus. Through a complex process, the nucleus splits in two, making two identical copies. |
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After the cells important parts are duplicated, the cell divides down the middle, forming a separate outside membrane for each of the new daughter cells. In time, each of these two new cells will also divide, which will all in turn divide again. By constantly dividing, a life form can grow, while their cells remain the same size.
