Friday, October 30, 2009

To The Nephron and Back: A Water Molecule Chronicle

"This is sure an strange place", Osmo thought to himself as he looked around and saw a bunch of unfamilar beings. "Why are those guys over there so red? And for that matter why are those guys so clear? and hey! those gals look just like me! Good to know im not the only one capable of Osmosis around here." Surging through this tunnel he saw a sign:
Welcome to the Renal Artery!
"Well that doesn't sound too bad" he thought. Just then, the current slowed a bit and he was diverted into a mass of smaller tunnels, twisting and turning, as he passed another sign:
THE GLOMERULUS, Where capilaries have a ball!
"Atleast things are slowing down a bit," he again thought to himself.
Just then he was sucked through a wall into a sort of tube.
"Woah! That was weird! Where ever I'm headed it seems like there is some organization to this chaos, 'cause none of those red or clear guys followed into this tunnel."
As Osmo got his bearings he saw yet another sign:
Bowman's Capsule, We've got the Glomerulus surrounded!
Just then, he some of the other water molecules being sucked out of the tubule, along with a bunch of the other unfamilairs that had followed him. Again, he passed another sign:
Proximal Tubule, It's all down hill from here!
"Ahhhhh!" Osmo screamed as the current acelerated and the tubule narrowed. Many more of his kind were sucked out of the tubule into the unknown. For some reason, he and a few others were left behind. As he went down the walls seem to get darker, as if whatever was outside was slowely becoming more concentrated.
Up ahead was a hairpin turn, and yet another sign:
Loop of Henle, turning molecules around since 1991
As the turn completed Osmo looked around at the changing walls "Woah, these walls look alot harder to go through, i don't think even the skinniest H20 molecule could squeeze through that." as the tunnel leveled out he passed a sign again:
Distal Tubule, far from a Bowman
"I wonder if they mean that Bowman's Capsule?" he thought as some of the water molecules came back into the tunnel. "I guess they didn't need us." Osmo heard one of them state. "Or mabye they couldn't handle all of us," he heard another suggest. "I've been to a place like this before and there weren't nearly as many of those ADH guys here," yet another suggested. They all passed another sign:
Collecting Duct, Merging waste is our business
"Surely this can't go on much longer," Osmo though to himself, "This has being going on forever."
Just as he thought this the collecting duct merged into other tunnels that seemed alot like it, brining more fluid into a bigger tube which had another sign:
Ureter, Last stop before the B
"What on earth is 'B'?" Osmo thought,"That sign did look like it had been disovled somehow"
Suddenly the tunnel let out into a huge chamber with what seemed like an ocean of clear liquid.
"Finally, it stops." Thought the tired Osmo. And for awhile he was right but as more and more liquid came from the tunnel, the giant chamber started to fill up. "What will happen when it fills all the w-AHHHHH!" Osmo was sucked down into a whirlpool of swirling liquid and was forced down yet another tunnel which had another sign, he didnt get a good look at it but from what he could tell it read
Urethra, See Ya!
He swirled and surged on past the sign and out into a stream where he was blinded by the bright light. As his vision cleared he was again in a familair place, dominated by his kind and bacteria.
"Well, what an adventure! I can't wait to tell the guys about this!"

1 comment:

  1. OMG! This is awesome..... You will definitely receive credit and more for this!

    ReplyDelete