Can anyone explain in simple terms the square cube law and how it applies to animals and people. I have seen it referenced to fictional beast, especially those who are absurdly large. But can anyone explain it what it actually means
In: Biology
Take it down to the tiny level then. Think of the cells in your body. Let’s assume they’re spherical to make life easier. Volume of a sphere = 4/3 * pi * radius^3 and surface area = 4 * pi * radius^2
Therefore, as the cell increases in size, its volume is rising much faster than its surface area. Obviously a bigger cell needs to carry out more processes than a smaller one (metabolism etc.) so it generates a lot more metabolic waste than a small cell, but doesn’t have the corresponding increase in surface area to get things in and out of the cell.
This is why when a cell reaches a certain size it becomes advantageous for it to split into two identical cells (mitosis) thus improving the surface area to volume ratio.
Latest Answers