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Biology  /  Bio 0253  ·  Atom · ~20 seconds

Why Cell Size Is Limited

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As a cell grows, its volume increases faster than its surface area, so past some size the membrane cannot support the diffusion that volume needs.

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Doubling a cube-shaped cell's side drops its surface-to-volume ratio from 6-to-1 to 3-to-1.

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A cell hitting this limit does not stop growing outright — it divides, flattens, or develops specialized organelles.