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SEPTEMBER 26, 2019
BLOG, SPECIAL EDITION: WATER, UNCATEGORIZED

Biological Roles of Water: Why

is water necessary for life?
by Molly Sargen
figures by Daniel Utter

Water makes up 60-75% of human body weight. A loss of just 4% of

total body water leads to dehydration, and a loss of 15% can be
fatal. Likewise, a person could survive a month without food but
wouldn’t survive 3 days without water. This crucial dependence on
water broadly governs all life forms.  Clearly water is vital for
survival, but what makes it so necessary?

The Molecular Make-up of Water

Many of water’s roles in supporting life are due to its molecular
structure and a few special properties. Water is a simple molecule
composed of two small, positively charged hydrogen atoms and one
large negatively charged oxygen atom. When the hydrogens bind to
the oxygen, it creates an asymmetrical molecule with positive
charge on one side and negative charge on the other side (Figure
1). This charge differential is called polarity and dictates how water
interacts with other molecules.

Figure 1: Water Chemistry. Water molecules are made of two

hydrogens and one oxygen. These atoms are of different sizes and
charges, which creates the asymmetry in the molecular structure
and leads to strong bonds between water and other polar
molecules, including water itself.
Water is the “Universal Solvent”
As a polar molecule, water interacts best with other polar molecules,
such as itself. This is because of the phenomenon wherein opposite
charges attract one another: because each individual water
molecule has both a negative portion and a positive portion, each
side is attracted to molecules of the opposite charge. This attraction
allows water to form relatively strong connections, called bonds,
with other polar molecules around it, including other water
molecules. In this case, the positive hydrogen of one water
molecule will bond with the negative oxygen of the adjacent
molecule, whose own hydrogens are attracted to the next oxygen,
and so on (Figure 1). Importantly, this bonding makes water
molecules stick together in a property called cohesion. The
cohesion of water molecules helps plants take up water at their
roots. Cohesion also contributes to water’s high boiling point, which
helps animals regulate body temperature.

Furthermore, since most biological molecules have some electrical

asymmetry, they too are polar and water molecules can form bonds
with and surround both their positive and negative regions. In the
act of surrounding the polar molecules of another substance, water
wriggles its way into all the nooks and crannies between molecules,
effectively breaking it apart are dissolving it. This is what happens
when you put sugar crystals into water: both water and sugar are
polar, allowing individual water molecules to surround individual
sugar molecules, breaking apart the sugar and dissolving it. Similar
to polarity, some molecules are made of ions, or oppositely charged
particles.  Water breaks apart these ionic molecules as well by
interacting with both the positively and negatively charged particles.
This is what happens when you put salt in water, because salt is
composed of sodium and chloride ions.

Water’s extensive capability to dissolve a variety of molecules has

earned it the designation of “universal solvent,” and it is this ability
that makes water such an invaluable life-sustaining force.  On a
biological level, water’s role as a solvent helps cells transport and
use substances like oxygen or nutrients. Water-based solutions like
blood help carry molecules to the necessary locations. Thus,
water’s role as a solvent facilitates the transport of molecules like
oxygen for respiration and has a major impact on the ability
of drugs to reach their targets in the body. 

Water Supports Cellular Structure

Water also has an important structural role in biology. Visually,
water fills cells to help maintain shape and structure (Figure 2). The
water inside many cells (including those that make up the human
body) creates pressure that opposes external forces, similar to
putting air in a balloon. However, even some plants, which can
maintain their cell structure without water, still require water to
survive. Water allows everything inside cells to have the right shape
at the molecular level. As shape is critical for biochemical
processes, this is also one of water’s most important roles.

Figure 2: Water impacts cell shape. Water creates pressure

inside the cell that helps it maintain shape. In the hydrated cell (left),
the water pushes outward and the cell maintains a round shape. In
the dehydrated cell, there is less water pushing outward so the cell
becomes wrinkled.
Water also contributes to the formation of membranes surrounding
cells. Every cell on Earth is surrounded by a membrane, most of
which are formed by two layers of molecules
called phospholipids (Figure 3). The phospholipids, like water, have
two distinct components: a polar “head” and a nonpolar “tail.” Due to
this, the polar heads interact with water, while the nonpolar tails try
to avoid water and interact with each other instead. Seeking these
favorable interactions, phospholipids spontaneously form bilayers
with the heads facing outward towards the surrounding water and
the tails facing inward, excluding water. The bilayer surrounds cells
and selectively allows substances like salts and nutrients to enter
and exit the cell. The interactions involved in forming the membrane
are strong enough that the membranes form spontaneously and
aren’t easily disrupted. Without water, cell membranes would lack
structure, and without proper membrane structure, cells would be
unable to keep important molecules inside the cell and harmful
molecules outside the cell.
Figure 3: Phospholipid bilayers. Phospholipids form bilayers
surrounded by water. The polar heads face outward to interact with
water and the hydrophobic tails face inward to avoid interacting with
water.
In addition to influencing the overall shape of cells, water also
impacts some fundamental components of every cell: DNA and
proteins. Proteins are produced as a long chain of building blocks
called amino acids and  need to fold into a specific shape to function
correctly. Water drives the folding of amino acid chains as different
types of amino acids seek and avoid interacting with
water. Proteins provide structure, receive signals, and catalyze
chemical reactions in the cell. In this way, proteins are the
workhorses of cells. Ultimately proteins drive contraction of
muscles, communication, digestion of nutrients, and many other
vital functions. Without the proper shape, proteins would be unable
to perform these functions and a cell (let alone an entire human)
could not survive. Similarly, DNA needs to be in a specific shape for
its instructions to be properly decoded. Proteins that read or copy
DNA can only bind DNA that has a particular shape. Water
molecules surround DNA in an ordered fashion to support its
characteristic double-helix conformation. Without this shape, cells
would be unable to follow the careful instructions encoded by DNA
or to pass the instructions onto future cells, making human growth,
reproduction, and, ultimately, survival infeasible . 

Chemical Reactions of Water

Water is directly involved in many chemical reactions to build and
break down important components of the cell. Photosynthesis, the
process in plants that creates sugars for all life forms, requires
water. Water also participates in building larger molecules in cells.
Molecules like DNA and proteins are made of repetitive units of
smaller molecules. Putting these small molecules together occurs
through a reaction that produces water. Conversely, water is
required for the reverse reaction that breaks down these molecules,
allowing cells to obtain nutrients or repurpose pieces of big
molecules. 

Additionally, water buffers cells from the dangerous effects of acids

and bases. Highly acidic or basic substances, like bleach or
hydrochloric acid, are corrosive to even the most durable materials.
This is because acids and bases release excess hydrogens or take
up excess hydrogens, respectively, from the surrounding materials. 
Losing or gaining positively-charged hydrogens disrupts the
structure of molecules. As we’ve learned, proteins require a specific
structure to function properly, so it’s important to protect them from
acids and bases. Water does this by acting as both an acid and a
base (Figure 4). Although the chemical bonds within a water
molecule are very stable, it’s possible for a water molecule to give
up a hydrogen and become OH–, thus acting as a base, or accept
another hydrogen and become H3O+, thus acting as an acid. This
adaptability allows water to combat drastic changes of pH due to
acidic or basic substances in the body in a process called buffering.
Ultimately, this protects proteins and other molecules in the cell.

Figure 4: Water acts as a buffer by releasing or accepting

hydrogen atoms.
In conclusion, water is vital for all life. Its versatility and adaptability
help perform important chemical reactions. Its simple molecular
structure helps maintain important shapes for cells’ inner
components and outer membrane. No other molecule matches
water when it comes to unique properties that support life.
Excitingly, researchers continue to establish new properties of water
such as additional effects of its asymmetrical structure. Scientists
 have yet to determine the physiological impacts of these properties.
It’s amazing how a simple molecule is universally important for
organisms with diverse needs. 

Molly Sargen is a first-year PhD Student in the Biological and

Biomedical Sciences Program at Harvard Medical School.

Dan Utter is a fifth-year PhD student in Organismic and

Evolutionary Biology at Harvard University. 

For More Information:

 To learn more about the importance of drug solubility see this

article. 
 Check out these articles for more information
about proteins and how water impacts their folding.
 Learn more about phospholipids here. 
 Learn more about water affects DNA structure here.
 Learn more about acids and bases here. 
 Check out the unique properties of water at this page or
recently discovered properties of water at this article.

This article is part of our special edition on water. To read more,

check out our special edition homepage!

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 35 thoughts on “Biological Roles of Water: Why is
water necessary for life?”

1. Adi Satria Pangestu

NOVEMBER 17, 2019 AT 1:53 AM

what happens if living things don’t drink water?

REPLY

1. caden

FEBRUARY 2, 2020 AT 5:50 PM

whos gonna tell em

REPLY

1. Rose Mendensia
 SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 AT 6:29 AM

you should have given more explanation on this

REPLY

2. Ace

MAY 14, 2020 AT 9:31 PM

If “living things” don’t drink water, they become dehydrated and if they become
more dehydrated without access to a source of fluids on time, (e.g. drinking
water) they will die.

REPLY

3. Mangale Pooja Suresh

JULY 13, 2020 AT 12:47 PM

Water is the integral part of the living things life and also water is the basic need
so if living things don’t drink water the will die automatically after two to three
days

REPLY
4. lane

SEPTEMBER 8, 2020 AT 9:03 PM

they die if they don’t drink duh

REPLY

5. Aayden Finnigan

OCTOBER 6, 2020 AT 11:57 PM

To put it simply, they die

REPLY

6. grace scruggs

OCTOBER 8, 2020 AT 2:06 PM

girl they die???

REPLY
7. Miguel Lozano

OCTOBER 23, 2020 AT 11:41 AM

Well, since water is needed for several critical roles in maintaining the process
of life, it is safe to say that eventually, the living thing would be dehydrated and
then die. The causal chain that leads to this might look like this:
1. Water restriction
2. Decreased volume
3. Blood pressure gets low
4. Cells do not get enough perfusion which translates into anaerobic metabolism
with the production of lactic acid.
5. pH gets lower
6. Metabolic pathways start dysfunctioning due to their dependence on pH and
concentration of solutes.
7. Cell structure changes as well as its function
8. Systems dysfunction: the heart doesn´t pump strongly enough, central
nervous system conductivity decreases
9. Multiorgan failure, coma, or cardiorespiratory arrest.
10. Death

REPLY

8. bitchworm

JANUARY 10, 2021 AT 7:15 PM

they have constipation

REPLY
 9. DR Hazrat Junaid

JANUARY 31, 2021 AT 5:21 AM

When the cytoplasm water concentration decrease below 10% the cell dead .
This there is no life without water.

REPLY

10. Shumaila Ahmad

MAY 2, 2021 AT 5:16 AM

In my opinion this may leads to dehydration and in severe condition,it can be

fatal to body due to several internal reasons like, unavailability of water for
filtration, enzymatic action, osmoregulation,transport and many such precesses
depends upon availability of water .

REPLY

2. Beth tanui

FEBRUARY 4, 2020 AT 10:59 AM

Awesome article
 REPLY

1. obro

FEBRUARY 22, 2021 AT 9:37 PM

Awesome comment

REPLY

3. Carros

MARCH 3, 2020 AT 9:17 PM

Amazing! That kind of article you have to study, not only to read. That’s what I am
doing! Thank you

REPLY

4. Oli
 MAY 1, 2020 AT 3:31 AM

Great article, thank you!

REPLY

1. Adr Rani bangash

JULY 13, 2020 AT 12:06 AM

thanks dear ..
I Want to add U in group
Please response

REPLY

5. Bipana

MAY 24, 2020 AT 10:25 AM

Nice ….it’s easier for me to understand…thank you so much..

REPLY
6. Iresh Ranjan Bhattacharjee

MAY 27, 2020 AT 11:20 AM

The presence of extra-ordinary quantity of fluids in living bodies is one of the most
poorly understood aspects in life science. I agree with the authors on the “Biological
roles of water….”.
Only observation, I wish to make that all bio-particles are required to be under
neutral buoyancy to be estranged from major external gravitational fields to remain
as living and not inert.
The authors may go through the paper “Biological Phenomena Mimic Astrophysical
Principles Of Gravitation – Opening
Perspective”. https://www.academia.edu/38265683/Biological_Phenomena_Mim
ic_Astrophysical_Principles_of_Gravitation_Opening_Perspective_2018_. http
s://ijamsr.com/issues/6_Volume%201_Issue%206/20180904_041940_1.pdf: http
s://doi.org/10.31426/ijamsr.2018.1.6.611

REPLY

7. Pingback: Сколько нужно пить воды на самом деле? - next.zrdk.ru

8. Josephine

JUNE 29, 2020 AT 12:33 AM

Thank you so much for these vast information that I can use for my class

REPLY
9. Jessica Anabah

DECEMBER 6, 2020 AT 10:43 AM

Since the ocean covers 70% of the earth’s surface,do you think the ocean is a threat
to the earth?.If yes,why?.If no,why?.Please kindly answer my
question,anyone.Thank you.

REPLY

1. Yuki

DECEMBER 21, 2020 AT 7:36 PM

No. Because the body of the ocean has its own attractive force. This keeps it
together unless disrupted by different forces eg., winds , man-made creation i.e
nucler fission .

REPLY

10. colleges in north west london

 JANUARY 8, 2021 AT 3:09 AM

 Thanks For Sharing the Amazing Article, this is such an informative post. I want to
bookmark your post for my friend’s circle. kindly write another article on this topic for
me and friends so I will forward your article thanks again for this great post.

REPLY

11. Kazem Mostafapour, PhD.

JANUARY 22, 2021 AT 1:40 PM

Newton was a genius to reason why apples fall down toward the ground, due to
gravitational force. But, he was not enough of a genius to reason why the tree and
the apples on it have grown UPWARD, in the opposite direction.
He did not know about the cohesive and adhesive properties of this miraculous
molecule, the water molecule!

REPLY

12. panashe mawaro

FEBRUARY 18, 2021 AT 1:27 PM

thank you so much for this article helped me understand in depth the significance of
water

REPLY
13. Dabila Mfune

FEBRUARY 21, 2021 AT 12:26 AM

Wow thank you. This article is very helpful and building.

REPLY

14. ofdy

FEBRUARY 28, 2021 AT 7:51 AM

awesome………………………….

REPLY

15. Diana Nyoni

MARCH 2, 2021 AT 4:47 AM

Awesome thank you it really helped 

 REPLY

16. Trisha

MARCH 5, 2021 AT 2:33 AM

Water is a solvent that facilitates the transport of molecules like oxygen for
respiration and removing waste from the body.

REPLY

17. tasfiyehab

MARCH 10, 2021 AT 11:05 AM

Thank you so much for these vast information that I can use for my class

REPLY

18. Bhekinkosi Ncube

APRIL 13, 2021 AT 2:40 PM

 I like it l am really glad to have luckly found such useful information

REPLY

19. Marianne McDougall

APRIL 19, 2021 AT 1:57 AM

Water is an integral part of life, without it life would end.

REPLY

20. Iresh Bhattacharjee

APRIL 19, 2021 AT 2:44 PM

Biologists have their own century old dictionary. It is really difficult for them to
understand/ visualize the physical buoyant property of fluid. Up thrust or buoyant
property is connected with gravitation. Depth of fluid is important parameter. Desired
depth of fluid to float require optimum quantity of liquid having adequate density. A
small quantity of fluid is required for carrying the job of solvent. Why then such large
quantity of fluid is essential for living ? Try to understand the reality. ” Apart from
solvent role, all bio-particles are required to be under neutral buoyancy to be
estranged from major external gravitational fields to remain as living .” Sooner the
biologists change their viewing angle, earlier they will be able to solve the puzzle. So
change your viewing angle first. Consider the buoyant property of fluid on priority.

REPLY
21. Rock Smith

MAY 19, 2021 AT 1:18 AM

Water makes up about 60 percent of your body weight. Every cell, tissue and organ
in your body needs water to work properly. Water gets rid of wastes through
urination, perspiration and bowel movements, water keeps your temperature normal,
and water lubricates and cushions your joints. Water is also critical for your heart
health. Your heart is constantly working, pumping about 2,000 gallons of blood a
day. By staying hydrated – that is, by drinking more water than you are losing – you
are helping your heart do its job.

REPLY

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