The Importance of Water for the Life of Living Things

Water is important for life and its process because it is the main component of most organisms on Earth. Many of the organisms are made of 95% water; almost the rest are made up of half water. Additionally, two thirds of the planet is covered in water..

Water has many unique properties. It is the only substance that is found in liquid form at a temperature commonly found on planet Earth. Additionally, it is a great solvent, which means that many substances can be dissolved in it. This allows water to transport nutrients to living cells and that can also help get rid of their waste..

Water also regulates activities in human fluids, tissues, cells, lymph, blood, and glandular secretions..

For living beings it is necessary to drink water to stay alive. An adult contains approximately 42 liters of water. With only a loss of 2.7 liters, a human being can suffer from the symptoms of dehydration. These symptoms include dizziness, weakness, headaches, fatigue, and nervousness. In extreme cases, dehydration can lead to death.

Water circulates naturally on the Earth's surface as it circulates throughout the human body; transports, dissolves, replenishes nutrients and organic matter, while disposing of useless materials.

In conclusion, water has a very important role for life and also has many functions in chemistry, biochemistry and biology thanks to its diverse properties. Its physical properties refer to its thermal properties and its chemical properties to how it interacts with other substances..

Properties of water important for human biology

1- Water as a solvent

Water is a great solvent. This means that many different materials can be dissolved in it to form solutions. Water is the solvent that carries many essential molecules and other particles around the body. This includes nutrients and waste products produced by the body's metabolic process..

2- In the flow of movement of water molecules through biological membranes

Some particles and molecules, such as ions, need to be able to move around biological organisms, such as tissues and membranes. One way this happens is in solutions. Examples of this include the transport of oxygen in the blood around the vascular system..

The movements of the solutions in well-defined ducts such as those of the vessels and the lymphatic system, are easily explained if they are compared with the movements of the fluids through pipes..

3- Water in many chemical reactions

Chemical reactions only take place when reactants make contact with themselves, sometimes through intermediate steps involving catalysts..

Solutions are usually good carriers for chemical reactions since the solvent, in this case water, encapsulates solutes that could be potentially reactive if there is any possibility of them reacting with each other. When two or more reactants are in the same solution they could collide and cause a reaction.

The chance of this happening depends on many factors, including the concentration of solutes, the temperature of the solution, and whether there is any catalyst for the reaction..

Water molecules also participate in decomposition reactions where certain molecules break down into smaller parts. Examples of this include the processing of carbohydrates and proteins during the digestive process..

Water is also produced in some chemical reactions that occur in the body. In these reactions, small organic compounds join together to form larger and more complex molecules, required in the body to perform specific functions such as forming nucleic acids and hormones..

4- The role of water as a lubricant

The lubricant reduces friction between moving surfaces. Water, including solutions in which water is the solvent, serves an important role in lubricating functions. This is essential in many parts of the body, such as:

• In the thoracic and abdominal cavities. In this area, internal organs, such as the heart, lungs, and digestive system, are located next to each other and slide past each other when the body moves..
• In the joints. In this area, structures such as bones, ligaments, and tendons need to move freely. These parts are relatively close together and need something to prevent the friction that occurs between different structures and surfaces..

5- The thermal properties of water contribute to life

Water has a specific heat point. The specific heat of a substance is the amount of heat per unit mass necessary to increase the temperature of a substance by one degree Celsius..

Compared with other solvents, it takes more energy to increase the temperature of the water. This happens because hydrogen holds the water molecules together. Thermal properties of water that affect animal and human biology include:

• Compared to other materials, water can absorb or dispose of a relatively large amount of heat energy while minimally adjusting its own temperature..

A large amount of the human body is made of water. Therefore, this ability helps the body to cope with variations in ambient temperature. Additionally, it helps to keep the body in a comfortable and safe temperature range for humans..

• Additionally, and compared to other materials, water also needs a relatively large amount of heat energy to evaporate..

This means that the evaporation of sweat on the skin is a very effective mechanism for cooling the body; removes large amounts of heat from the body when sweat evaporates.

References

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