Actually, as the body gets bigger in general we just get MORE cells rather than them getting bigger. Nerve cells are one of the exceptions however and are absolutely fascinating cells. They have really long outgrowths that do get longer as you grow, but the majority of cells in the body have an upper limit to their size. This is because nutrients have to get into the cell and into the nucleus quite quickly. If a cell just continued to grow, then it would take a long time for nutrients to get all around the cell, and also for hormones and chemicals to get OUT of the cell. So that’s why when cells get to a certain size they divide and make an exact copy of themselves.
Hi nickskii,
That’s a great question!
Actually, as the body gets bigger in general we just get MORE cells rather than them getting bigger. Nerve cells are one of the exceptions however and are absolutely fascinating cells. They have really long outgrowths that do get longer as you grow, but the majority of cells in the body have an upper limit to their size. This is because nutrients have to get into the cell and into the nucleus quite quickly. If a cell just continued to grow, then it would take a long time for nutrients to get all around the cell, and also for hormones and chemicals to get OUT of the cell. So that’s why when cells get to a certain size they divide and make an exact copy of themselves.
Thanks for your question!
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