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Question

Why red blood cells do not have nuclei present in them?

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Solution

RBC and Nucleus

  1. The nucleus is the control center of a cell. It has DNA in it which is required for the reproduction of any cell.
  2. However, the function of RBCs is very simple.
  3. They just carry chemicals around.
  4. RBC has hemoglobin in it which carries oxygen. The RBCs don't need to reproduce as simply more RBCs can be produced by the red bone marrow in a process called erythropoiesis.
  5. Also, they don't need any energy for transport as they're carried by the arteries and veins.
  6. Besides, the nucleus takes up a lot of space in a cell.
  7. And since RBCs don't do any of the functions which are the nucleus's responsibility, evolution figured out that it's more logical to just exclude them from the RBCs.
  8. This space can be used to fit in more hemoglobin.
  9. Hence, to carry oxygen more efficiently, RBCs don't have a nucleus.

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