Picture an animal cell. Maybe it’s small and rectangular, like some skin cells. Maybe it’s small and circular, like some white blood cells. Maybe it’s small and branched, like some nerve cells. Or maybe it’s big—about a meter long—and wire thin. (Wait… what?) Cells this long do exist, though they are rare. To find the longest cell that we know of, we must dive into the deep, dark depths of the ocean, and imagine looking inside of a giant squid.
a long thick projection in nerve cells that sends electrical signals out away from the cell body...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/AxonThe human brain works quickly and handles difficult tasks. Is it just the size of our brains that allows us to do these things? As it turns out, it may also have a lot to do with how well our brain cells can send multiple messages to other cells.
Devin K. Phillips
This set of bits will teach you about the system that senses the world around you and controls your body: your nervous system.
Patrick McGurrin
Neurons and Nerves
Neurons are unique for many reasons. For one, they have a shape that is not like any other cells. Nerve cells are also some of the longest cells in your body. There are nerve cells as long as a meter. They stretch from your hips all the way down to your toes! This is very uncommon for cells, which are usually very short. Most cells are 20 micrometers in diameter, which is just a fraction of the width of a hair.