Membrane
Okay kiddo, let's talk about membranes. You know how we have skin to protect our bodies? Well, cells have something called a membrane to protect themselves too.
The membrane is like a very thin and flexible wall around a cell that separates the inside from the outside. It's made up of tiny molecules called lipids (which are kind of like building blocks) and proteins (which do different jobs within the membrane).
The lipids arrange themselves in two layers to make the membrane, with the water-loving parts facing outwards and the water-hating parts facing inwards. This helps to keep everything inside the cell safe and some things can only get through the membrane if they're allowed to by certain proteins.
So, imagine a sandwich with two slices of bread and some peanut butter in the middle. The bread is like the layers of lipids making up the membrane and the peanut butter is like the proteins that help to transport things through the membrane. Does that make more sense, kiddo?
The membrane is like a very thin and flexible wall around a cell that separates the inside from the outside. It's made up of tiny molecules called lipids (which are kind of like building blocks) and proteins (which do different jobs within the membrane).
The lipids arrange themselves in two layers to make the membrane, with the water-loving parts facing outwards and the water-hating parts facing inwards. This helps to keep everything inside the cell safe and some things can only get through the membrane if they're allowed to by certain proteins.
So, imagine a sandwich with two slices of bread and some peanut butter in the middle. The bread is like the layers of lipids making up the membrane and the peanut butter is like the proteins that help to transport things through the membrane. Does that make more sense, kiddo?
Related topics others have asked about: