Water in the Universe Water as a staple compound for the existence of life Earth's mass allows gravity to hold

an atmosphere wherein water vapor and carbon dioxide in the atmosphere provide a greenhouse effect which helps maintain a relatively steady surface temperature. If Earth were smaller, a thinner atmosphere would cause temperature extremes preventing the accumulation of water except in polar ice caps and thus life would never have proliferated as it did here on earth. The existence of water on Earth is vital to the existence of life on Earth as we know it. Water as a biological substance Water has many distinct properties that are critical for the proliferation of life that set it apart from other substances. All known forms of life depend on water. Waters role in essential biological processes 1. Waters role in Metabolism Water is vital both as a solvent in which many of the body's solutes dissolve and as an essential part of many metabolic processes within the body. Metabolism is the sum total of anabolism and catabolism. In anabolism, water is removed from molecules in order to grow larger molecules. In catabolism, water is used to brea bonds in order to generate smaller molecules. Water is thus essential and central to these metabolic processes. !herefore, without water, these metabolic processes would cease to exist, . Waters role in !hotosynthesis "hotosynthetic cells use the sun's energy to split off water's hydrogen from oxygen. #ydrogen is combined with $%& to form glucose and release oxygen ". Waters role in #espiration 'll living cells use such fuels and oxidi(e the hydrogen and carbon to capture the sun's energy and reform water and $%& in the process )cellular respiration*. Water and Aquatic life forms Earth's waters are filled with life. !he earliest life forms appeared in water+ nearly all fish live exclusively in water, and there are many types of marine mammals, such as dolphins and whales that also live in the water. ,ome inds of animals, such as amphibians, spend portions of their lives in water and portions on land. "lants such as elp and algae grow in the water and are the basis for some underwater ecosystems. "lan ton is generally the foundation of the ocean food chain. Water and its effects on Human Civilization

$ivili(ation has historically flourished around rivers and ma-or waterways+ Mesopotamia, the so.called cradle of civili(ation, was situated between the ma-or rivers !igris and Euphrates+ the ancient society of the Egyptians depended entirely upon the /ile. 0arge metropolises li e 1otterdam, 0ondon, Montreal, "aris, /ew 2or $ity, ,hanghai, !o yo, $hicago, and #ong 3ong owe their success in part to their easy accessibility via water and the resultant expansion of trade. Islands with safe water ports, li e ,ingapore, have flourished for the same reason. In places such as /orth 'frica and the Middle East, where water is more scarce, access to clean drin ing water was and is a ma-or factor in human development. Human uses for water 4* 'griculture !he most important use of water in agriculture is for irrigation. Irrigation is a ey component to produce enough food. Irrigation ta es up to 567 of water withdrawn in some developing countries. &* ,cientific standard %n 8 'pril 4859, the gram was defined in :rance to be e;ual to <the absolute weight of a volume of pure water e;ual to a cube of one hundredth of a meter, and to the temperature of the melting ice !he 3elvin temperature scale of the ,I system is based on the triple point of water, defined as exactly &8=.4> 3 or 6.64 ?$. !he scale is a more accurate development of the $elsius temperature scale, which is defined by the boiling point and melting point of water. =* @rin ing !he human body is anywhere from 997 to 8A7 water depending on body si(e. !o function properly, the body re;uires between one and seven liters of water per day to avoid dehydration B* @issolving agent or solvent @issolving is used to wash everyday items such as the human body, clothes, floors, cars, food, and pets. 'lso, human wastes are carried by water in the sewage system. Its use as a cleaning solvent consumes most of water in industriali(ed countries. Water can facilitate the chemical processing of wastewater. 'n a;ueous environment can be favorable to the brea down of pollutants, due to the ability to gain a homogenous solution that is pumpable and flexible to treat Water also facilitates biological processing of waste that have been dissolved within it. Microorganisms that live within water can access dissolved wastes and can feed upon them brea ing them down into less polluting substances.

9* #eat transfer fluid Water and steam are used as heat transfer fluids in diverse heat exchange systems, due to its availability and high heat capacity, both as a coolant and for heating $ondensing steam is a particularly efficient heating fluid because of the large heat of vapori(ation. In almost all electric power plants, water is the coolant, which vapori(es and drives steam turbines to drive generators. >* Extinguishing fires Water has a high heat of vapori(ation and is relatively inert, which ma es it a good fire extinguishing fluid. !he evaporation of water carries heat away from the fire 8* $hemical uses %rganic reactions are usually ;uenched with water or a water solution of a suitable acid, base or buffer. Water is generally effective in removing inorganic salts. In inorganic reactions, water is a common solvent. A* Water industry !he water industry provides drin ing water and wastewater services )including sewage treatment* to households and industry. 5* Industrial purposes Water is used in power generation. #ydroelectricity is electricity obtained from hydropower. #ydroelectricity is a low.cost, non.polluting, renewable energy source Water is also used in many industrial processes and machines, such as the steam turbine and heat exchanger, in addition to its use as a chemical solvent 46* :ood processing Water plays many critical roles within the field of food science. It is important for a food scientist to understand the roles that water plays within food processing to ensure the success of their products.