• Question: Do our cells respond to gravity if so how?

    Asked by elliejade to Asif, Laura, Lena, Sean, Viv on 16 Mar 2012.
    • Photo: Sean Murphy

      Sean Murphy answered on 15 Mar 2012:

      This was answered very well by another scientist so I will just paste it here:

      “Yes, all things respond to gravity in some way. Of course, the effect is greater upon bigger objects, but cells do respond to it! Our cells can respond in some ways that we can feel – for example you can feel very strange when you go upside down? I think that may be one way..

      If you consider bacterial cells, they are affected by gravity, and will tend to move downwards in the air. This is important in microbiology work, because we generally work in the air and have to protected our experiments from contamination in the air, particularly from air-borne viruses and bacteria. We do this by lighting small fires using bunsen burners (which basically connect some gas to a flame!) and this sterilises the area around our work, so that bacteria that fall by gravity will die and not ruin our work!”

      Darren Braddick

    • Photo: Viv Lyons

      Viv Lyons answered on 15 Mar 2012:

      Anything that has mass with be effected by gravity.

    • Photo: Laura Waters

      Laura Waters answered on 16 Mar 2012:

      Good answer Sean, I agree.

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