To use all functions of this page, please activate cookies in your browser.
my.bionity.com
With an accout for my.bionity.com you can always see everything at a glance – and you can configure your own website and individual newsletter.
- My watch list
- My saved searches
- My saved topics
- My newsletter
Gravitational biologyGravitational Biology is the study of the effects gravity has on living organisms. Throughout the history of the Earth life has evolved to survive changing conditions, such as changes in the climate and habitat. The only constant factor in evolution since life first began on Earth is the force of gravity. As a consequence, all biological processes are accustomed to the ever-present force of gravity and even small variations in this force can have significant impact on the health and function of organisms.[1] Additional recommended knowledge
Gravity and Life on EarthThe force of gravity on the surface of the Earth, normally denoted g, has remained constant in both direction and magnitude since the formation of the planet.[citation needed] As a result, both plant and animal life have evolved to rely upon and cope with it in various ways. Plant use of GravityPlant tropisms are directional movements of a plant with respect to a directional stimulus. One such tropism is Gravitropism, or the growth or movement of a plant with respect to gravity. Plant roots grow towards the pull of gravity and away from sunlight, and shoots and stems grow against the pull of gravity and towards sunlight. Animal Struggles with GravityGravity has had an effect on the development of animal life since the first single-celled organism.
The size of single biological cells is inversely proportional to the strength of the gravitational field exerted on the cell. That is, in stronger gravitational fields the size of cells decreases, and in weaker gravitational fields the size of cells increases. Gravity is thus a limiting factor in the growth of individual cells. Gravity and Life ElsewhereEvery day the realization of space habitation becomes closer, and even today space stations exist and are home to long-term, though not yet permanent residents. Because of this there is a growing scientific interest in how changes in the gravitational field influence different aspects of the physiology of living organisms, especially mammals since these results can normally be closely related to the expected effects on humans. All current research in this field can be classified into two groups.[3] Recent experimentsRecent experiments have proven that alterations in metabolism, immune cell function, cell division, and cell attachment all occur in the hypogravity of space. For example, after a matter of days in microgravity (< 10-3 g), human immune cells were unable to differentiate into mature cells. One of the large implications of this is that if certain cells cannot differentiate in space, organisms may not be able to reproduce successfully after exposure to zero gravity. See also
References
|
|
This article is licensed under the GNU Free Documentation License. It uses material from the Wikipedia article "Gravitational_biology". A list of authors is available in Wikipedia. |