Why is water important?

Water is inarguably the most valuable biochemical of all. Without water, life would not exist on this planet. While it has a hundred thousand benefits, it can also be a nuisance if not used or managed correctly. However, in this article, we will talk only about the importance of water and its general chemical structure, which makes water, water! 

Water as a major component of the human body:

It is believed that all humans are about 60% water. This includes your blood and all the bodily secretions as well. Water is also a crucial component of cells, typically forming around 70% to 95% of the mass of a single cell — that’s simply startling! It means we depend on water and cannot afford to lose it. Fun fact: losing about 10-15% of the water from your body can be fatal. A loss of 1
5-25% causes death! 

Molecule of water: 

Water is a polar molecule (a molecule with an uneven charge distribution) which has a general formula of H2O. Although it is a relatively simple molecule, water has some wonderful attributes. For example, the hydrogen bonds in water enable it to be strong, and as a result, it becomes difficult to convert water from a liquid to a gas. It requires a lot of energy to do so. By contrast, compounds with no hydrogen bond exist as a gas at average room temperature. 

Importance to Marine life: 

Water provides an ideal environment for all those organisms that reside inside water. Fishes, Crocodiles, Shrimps, Turtles, Sea-horses etc. All these animals (along with many others) survive in water. Their survival is made possible because of the fact that water contains dissolved oxygen, and many other useful minerals, which aid in the growth and development of marine life. 

Importance to humans: 

We all quench our thirst with a glass of cold water every day. However, this is not the only thing water does. Your saliva is made up of water. Some hormones in your body are made up of water. Your tears are made up of water. Some enzymes (a biological catalyst that speeds up a rate of a reaction) are made up of water. For example, synovial fluid in your body is made up of water. Your sweat is made up of water. Almost everything in your body has something to do with water. This makes water an ultimate life-saver (you can sometimes silently say thanks to water, it wouldn’t mind). 

Water as a transport medium in animals and plants: 

Animals need a transport medium to distribute the required elements within no time throughout the body to carry out life processes. Thankfully, animals use blood as their transport medium. Blood is made up of water. Hence, it is safe to say that animals use water as a transport medium. Blood transports oxygen and nutrients. 

As far as plants are concerned, plants also use water as a transport medium. Root hair cells take up water from the soil, and it is then transported throughout the plant with the help of xylem vessels. 

Therefore, drink water, stay hydrated, and keep the water channels pure, for everyone!