Final answer:
Osmosis is the movement of water through a semipermeable membrane from a region of lower solute concentration to a region of higher solute concentration, playing a crucial role in various biological and medical processes.
Step-by-step explanation:
Osmosis is the passage of water and small molecules across a semipermeable membrane with a net flow from a less concentrated solution to a more concentrated solution. This process is critical in many biological systems as it dictates how substances can move in and out of cells and organelles.
When considering body fluids or the interior environment of a cell, the concept of osmotic pressure becomes important. This pressure arises due to the concentration gradients of solutes and the water's tendency to move to balance these gradients. Osmosis plays a significant role in maintaining equilibrium in biological systems through processes like osmoregulation, essential for the maintenance of salt and water balance.
Medical applications utilize the principles of osmosis and its close relative, dialysis, where barriers act like semipermeable membranes to selectively permit the flow of substances. For example, within the kidneys, specialized barriers filter out waste while retaining necessary substances in the body, demonstrating the biomedical importance of osmosis.