osmolyte
OZ-mo-lite
Definition
A small solute molecule that helps living cells maintain their volume and water balance, specifically by protecting against the damaging effects of high environmental pressure.
Etymology
Derived from the Greek 'osmos' meaning 'a push' or 'impulse' (related to osmosis) and 'lyte' from the Greek 'lytos' meaning 'dissolvable' or 'capable of being loosened'.
In the news
In this article, scientists developed an 'osmolyte protection ratio' to explain how TMAO acts as an osmolyte, stabilizing water molecules inside snailfish cells so the fish can survive extreme deep-sea pressure.
We assume the deepest parts of the ocean are dark and empty, but the walls of the Mariana Trench hold snailfish drifting five miles down under pressure equivalent to a car pressing on every square centimetre of skin, their bones half-dissolved into cartilage so
Read the full article ↗ScienceBlog.com