Final answer:
Cells benefit from being long and thin rather than spherical or cubic as it improves their surface area-to-volume ratio, enabling more efficient nutrient and waste exchange. Additionally, certain specialized cell shapes improve functionality, like red blood cells' discs for better circulation and long nerve cells for rapid signal transmission.
Step-by-step explanation:
A cell being long and thin has advantages over a spherical or cubic shape because it improves the surface area-to-volume ratio. This ratio is essential for efficient exchange of nutrients and wastes with the environment. A higher surface area relative to the volume ensures that diffusion processes can occur more rapidly. In a sphere, as the cell radius increases, the surface area increases at a squared rate, while the volume increases at a cubed rate, which much more rapidly decreases the surface area-to-volume ratio.
Moreover, specific shapes aid certain cells in their functions. For example, red blood cells are shaped like flat discs, which allows them to move easily through blood vessels, and nerve cells are long to enable quick signal transmission. This specialization in cell shape aids in the overall functionality and efficiency of cells in the human body.