Naked Science Forum
Life Sciences => Cells, Microbes & Viruses => Topic started by: hussain on 18/07/2010 18:30:02
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hussain asked the Naked Scientists:
Which is the longest cell in human body?
What do you think?
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Mabye the ones in the intrstines, to obsorb more nutrients, but thats just a quess.
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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?
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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!
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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.
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Surely one cell cant run the length of a spine. the question was what is the longest CELL in the body.
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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
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Thats quite interesting. See, that just goes to show that you learn something new every day.
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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.
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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
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Thanks Steve I was incorrect stick to the brain stem spinal cord to the toe.