• Question: How do bones change, adapt and grow?

    Asked by to Paul, Kat, James, Hannah, Gill on 14 Jan 2019. This question was also asked by .
    • Photo: Gill Harrison

      Gill Harrison answered on 14 Jan 2019:

      This is not really my area of expertise, but this YouTube video might be helpful

    • Photo: Paul McKeegan

      Paul McKeegan answered on 14 Jan 2019:

      Me neither, but I remember learning about 2 important types of bone cells during my BSc Biochemistry degree:

      Osteoblasts are responsible for making new bone.

      Osteoclasts are responsible for digesting old bone to be replaced!

      I was surprised to learn that bone is constantly being made, broken down and regenerated! I always thought of the skeleton as a kind of permanent tissue. Periods of bone growth are due to increased activity of the osteoblasts, but there is always a balance of the two. You can probably imagine how too much osteoclast activity can lead to bone disease like osteoporosis when the balance of making and breaking down bone stops working properly.

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