- #1
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Anyone out there have a general idea/range of the weight of a typical eukaryotic cell? I found that E coli is at about 665 femtograms, but I'm more interested in mammalian cells.
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SUMMARY
The weight of a typical mammalian cell is approximately 10-19 grams, which is significantly lighter than the weight of E. coli, measured at about 665 femtograms. The mass of individual cells varies based on cell type, with typical animal cells ranging from 10-20 micrometers in diameter. This size comparison indicates that mammalian cells are generally larger than bacteria, contradicting the notion that they could be smaller in mass. Understanding these measurements is crucial for biological and medical applications.
PREREQUISITES- Basic knowledge of cell biology and eukaryotic cell structure
- Understanding of measurement units such as femtograms and attograms
- Familiarity with microscopy techniques for measuring cell size
- Concept of cell types and their respective characteristics
- Research the mass and size of different types of mammalian cells
- Explore the implications of cell size on biological functions
- Learn about measurement techniques for cellular mass and volume
- Investigate the differences between prokaryotic and eukaryotic cells
Biologists, medical researchers, and students studying cell biology who seek to understand the physical characteristics of mammalian cells and their implications in various scientific fields.
- #2
loseyourname
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The weight of a typical human cell is about 10-19g. I'm not sure how useful this information is, however, as the weight of any individual cell depends largely on what type of cell is being weighed.
- #3
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If a femtogram is 10-15 g, that would put 10-19 in the attogram range, which would then make the mammalian cell smaller (of less mass) than E. coli, which I don’t think it is.
- #4
Monique
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A typical animal cell is 10-20 um in diameter (1/5 the size of the smallest particle visible to the naked eye). A bacterium is typically 1 um in diameter. You should be able to estimate a mass from that 
- #5
loseyourname
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DocToxyn said:
The answer I gave could be wrong. I just googled it and found lecture notes for somebody's class.
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