Question

A family takes its summer vacation at a beach resort. Six-year-old Timmy spends the entire morning in a swimming pool. When his mother finally gets him out and dries him off, she remarks that his fingers and toes are "wrinkled up just like a prune." Prunes start their lives as plums. They get their characteristic wrinkles by dehydration. Sitting for hours in water is anything except dehydration. How can you solve this mystery? Use the Internet to investigate the wrinkling of a prune and the wrinkling of the skin when it is immersed in water. Be sure to relate your discussion of this topic to the process of osmosis.

Answer 1

Water diffuses into the skin via sweat ducts which alters the electrolyte balance. electrolytes can be salts like sodium and potassium. This alters the stability of neurons causing blood vessels to constrict therefore decreasing the amount of fluid in the fingers which would normally give the skin tension. The decrease causes wrinkles.