Naked Science Forum

Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: hussain on 18/07/2010 18:30:02

Title: Which is the longest cell in human body?
Post by: hussain on 18/07/2010 18:30:02

hussain asked the Naked Scientists:
   Which is the longest cell in human body?
What do you think?

Title: Which is the longest cell in human body?
Post by: tangoblue on 20/07/2010 00:08:21

Mabye the ones in the intrstines, to obsorb more nutrients, but thats just a quess.

Title: Which is the longest cell in human body?
Post by: tommya300 on 20/07/2010 01:33:10

Quote from: hussain on 18/07/2010 18:30:02

hussain asked the Naked Scientists:
   Which is the longest cell in human body?
What do you think?

How about the nerve cells that run the length of the spine?

Title: Which is the longest cell in human body?
Post by: DoryT on 09/08/2010 07:00:38

Quote from: tommya300 on 20/07/2010 01:33:10

Quote from: hussain on 18/07/2010 18:30:02

hussain asked the Naked Scientists:
   Which is the longest cell in human body?
What do you think?

How about the nerve cells that run the length of the spine?

Yep. And muscle cells are pretty long too!

Title: Which is the longest cell in human body?
Post by: SteveFish on 12/10/2010 16:32:55

Motor neurons in the cortex of the brain that project to their synapse in the lower part of the spinal cord and sensory neurons that collect touch information from the tip of the big toe and project to their synapse in the spinal cord.

Title: Which is the longest cell in human body?
Post by: tangoblue on 14/10/2010 02:31:19

Surely one cell cant run the length of a spine. the question was what is the longest CELL in the body.

Title: Which is the longest cell in human body?
Post by: SteveFish on 14/10/2010 17:48:57

Tangoblue:

My statement is accurate. There are neurons that originate in the brain and extend clear down the spinal column, and others that are as long as ones leg plus foot plus toe. Neurons can be very long because they project their axon over distance.

Steve

Title: Which is the longest cell in human body?
Post by: tangoblue on 14/10/2010 23:28:53

Thats quite interesting. See, that just goes to show that you learn something new every day.

Title: Which is the longest cell in human body?
Post by: maffsolo on 15/10/2010 06:50:11

One particular kind of cell you all forgot to mention, that can grow longer than the body it covers.
The non bald headed hair cell, you can almost control its length.

Title: Which is the longest cell in human body?
Post by: SteveFish on 15/10/2010 16:26:59

Maffsolo, a hair is not a single cell, it is composed of many thousands of cells. Also, hair does not grow continuously so its length is not indeterminate. A head hair grows for around three years before the follicle goes through a rest period and the hair falls out. This is why the longest head hair, usually cultivated by young women, rarely grows below the waist. Instances where it appears that hair is very long, such as elders in some Himalayan cultures with three meter beards, actually weave the hair together so it holds together like a rope made of shorter hairs. Steve

Title: Which is the longest cell in human body?
Post by: maffsolo on 15/10/2010 19:44:00

Thanks Steve I was incorrect stick to the brain stem spinal cord to the toe.