In: Physics
Fluids, in simple words, is anything that flows. if we dig deeper, then fluid is a substance which changes it's orientation, or as we say 'deforms' under external pressure. it can be a liquid, a gas, or even a plasma. The value of the shear modulus of a fluid is Zero.
Now in this article, we're more concerned with the relevence of Fluid for an organism. Hence, for us n this aspect, Flud is a water-based liquid, which helps the body in transporting solutes, helps in maintaining the correct temperature of the body etc etc.If we consider most animals(including human beings), the most important constituent of fluid is Water(You might have even heard that human body is nearly 70% water). Water in human body is mainly gained through the foods and liquids we intake, and the path through which we loose this fluid is urination, sweating and several other small ways too.
Now coming back to Fluids, any organism mainly have 2 types of fluids, namely-
1. Intracellular fluid- this fluid, as the name suggests, is found within the cell, and is very very important for supporting all the intracellular subparts(nucleus, mitochondria etc), while also helping to maintain the cell pressure, and thus preventing the collapse of cell.
2. Extracellular fluid- Extracellular Fluid does basically everything outside the cell. It carries all the cells, it's responsible for carrying nutrients to and fro from the cells, it carries all the toxic waste material away from the body through a network of tissues and thus ensures the healthy working of the organism.
The best example of how important the fluids are for the organism is blood. basically all the types of blood cells remain suspended in a protein rich fluid called plasma. The plasma responsible for carrying all the nutrients, oxygen, carbon dioxide, toxic-waste materials, white-blood cells for clotting purposes in case of an injury, and this countless list will go on and on and on, hence giving an idea of how important the fluids are.
Not only fluids are the best gaurd inside the body, but are also creating wonders outside it. Medicines, one of the most important external accessory needed for a healthy human life, is largely dependent on fluids. Right from the various syrups we take, be it of simple cough, or even the case of Dysphagia, fluids(syrups) are saving the day for us. Not only this, but in these horrific times of COVID-19 infection all over the world, a very promising treatment, the PLASMA transplant, is just another wonder in the list of wonders done by a fluid.
To conclude, there's only one thing to say, that we can still imagine the human life without all the technological advancements in it, but without fluids, imagining this universe itself isn't possible at all.
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