Remember "The Wicked Witch of the West" from The Wizard of Oz? She melted when doused with water. What do you think her cell membranes were made of, and why?
The Wicked Witch of the West's melting when doused with water can be attributed to her fictional susceptibility to the liquid. However, if we were to consider this from a scientific standpoint, we can make some educated speculations about the hypothetical composition of her cell membranes.
Cell membranes are primarily composed of a lipid bilayer, made up of phospholipids. Phospholipids consist of two hydrophobic (water-repelling) fatty acid tails and a hydrophilic (water-attracting) phosphate head. This unique structure forms a barrier that separates the cell's internal environment from the external surroundings, controlling the passage of substances in and out of the cell.
Given that the Wicked Witch of the West melted upon contact with water, her cell membranes could be imagined to have a different composition or structure than the typical phospholipid bilayer. This variation might make her cell membranes highly sensitive to water, causing them to break down or dissolve upon exposure.
However, it's important to note that this explanation is purely speculative as the concept of the Wicked Witch and her cell membranes is a fictional one. In reality, cell membranes in living organisms are not affected by water in the same way and play crucial roles in maintaining cellular integrity and function.