Osmosis is the spontaneous net movement of water through a semipermeable membrane from a region of low solute concentration to a solution with a high solute concentration, up a solute concentration gradient. It is a physical process in which a solvent moves, without input of energy, across a semi permeable membrane (permeable to the solvent, but not the solute) separating two solutions of different concentrations.[LINK: http://www.biologie.uni-hamburg.de/b-online/e22/22c.htm] Osmosis Osmosis releases energy, and can be made to do work, as when a growing tree-root splits a stone. thumb|Computer simulation of the process of osmosis Net movement of solvent is from the less-concentrated (hypotonic) to the more-concentrated (hypertonic) solution, which tends to reduce the difference in concentrations. This effect can be countered by increasing the pressure of the hypertonic solution, with respect to

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