Water as the Medium of Life
Water as the Medium of Life
- Water is of the utmost biological importance
- As 71% of the Earth’s surface is covered in water, it is a major habitat for organisms
- The first cells evolved in a watery environment
- This is believed to have been in the deep oceans, close to hydrothermal vents in the Earth's crust
- Some water and solutes got trapped within a membrane
- Between 70% to 95% of the mass of a cell is water
- Chemical reactions began occurring within the membrane-bound structure
- This led to the evolution of cells
- Water in its liquid state allows dissolved molecules to move around, so they are easily able to collide and react with each other
- Most life processes occur in water, it is the medium in which all metabolic reactions take place in cells
- The link between water and life is so strong that scientists looking for life on other planets and moons look for evidence of water to suggest that life could have occurred there