Stem Cells, Differentiation And Growth Flashcards
How do plants grow?
Through cell enlargement
Describe the difference between plant growth and animal growth?
Animals grow to a finite size whereas plants grow continuously
How do animals grow?
Through cell division
Where does growth by cell division happen in plant cells?
Meristems, at the tips of the roots and shoots
What is differentiation?
The process where cells change and become specialised for its job
What is common in most animals?
The ability to differentiate Is lost at an early age
Most cells in your body are specialised for a specific job, what can red blood cells do that White can’t ?
White blood cells cannot carry oxygen but are brilliant at fighting diseases
What are stem cells?
Cells that are undifferentiated and can develop into many different cells, tissues and organs depending on what they’re told to do.
Where are stem cells found?
Early human embryos
Why does it Make sense to why stem cells are found in embryos?
It shows that all the cells found in a human being have to come from those few cells in the early embryo
Where are adult stem cells found?
Bone marrow, they can only turn into certain cells
What do scientists do to try and cure diseases with stem cells?
They take them out of the embryo I hope that they will grow in to tissues and can be used to treat diseases
Why are some people against stem cell life?
They believe that experiments shouldn’t be done on potential human life, but others may say it’s better to cure people suffering than to look after embryos.
Explain how you measure the wet mass of an animal or plant?
Weigh the plant/ animal and that’s it
Give an advantage and disadvantage of measuring wet mass
Ad- easy to measure
Dis- is very changeable
