This shape is called a biconcave disc meaning it curves inward in the middle. The cellulose from the wallpaper paste passed through the thin skin of the bath bead making the bead very squishy. Notice how the surface of the bath bead stretched after soaking in the paste. Even though the bead still has the same amount of liquid inside, the surface area of the bead increased. The large surface area and biconcave shape allow many more oxygen molecules to come in contact with the surface of the red blood cell making it an effective oxygen carrier.
Some people have a condition called sickle cell anemia.
Their red blood cells look like crescent moons or sickles instead of like jelly donuts. Sickle cells can get stuck in tiny capillaries blocking blood flow to different parts of the body. There is not yet any cure for this often painful and sometimes deadly disease. This page was last updated May 25, 1998.