Cell growth

High school (ages 12+)
Human Body

Name:

Date:

Step 1 · Read the article

Open the article and read it at the level above. Then answer the questions below in your own words.

https://smallwhale.org/articles/cell-growth

Write what each word means, using the article.

Do not copy the article. Write two things you learned, the way you would explain them to a friend.

Answers below are taken from the article’s stored facts, so they match what the student read.

1. What is the core principle?Net accumulation of cellular mass via biosynthesis exceeding degradation
2. What is the tissue growth mechanism?Primarily through cell proliferation (growth + division) for exponential mass increase
3. How does cell growth differ from cell division?Cell growth makes a single cell bigger, while cell division creates new cells. Growth adds mass, division adds number.
4. Why do some cells grow without dividing?Some cells, like neurons, grow their long arms called axons to reach other cells, and they can do this without making new cells.

Anabolism: Metabolic pathways that construct molecules, requiring energy.
Catabolism: Metabolic pathways that break down molecules, releasing energy.
Endoreplication: Replication of DNA without subsequent cell division, leading to polyploidy.