How can red blood cells flow through spaces smaller than themselves?
This is an image of the surface of a human red blood cell. The human red cell is only about 8mm in diameter, 2mm high and only 1mm thick in the center. The special biconcave shape of the cell gives the cell flexibility to deform and flow through blood conduits smaller than the actual cell size without rupturing. Capillaries, the smallest of blood conduits are only about 3mm in diameter, less than HALF the size of most human red blood cells! To learn more about red blood cells and their special properties please visit the Osmotic Pressure in Red Blood Cell & Plant Cells module on this site. This image was obtained using non-contact Atomic Force Microscops (AFM).
