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Reference.org
Countercurrent multiplication
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<p>A countercurrent mechanism system is a mechanism that expends energy to create a <a href="/facts/Concentration_gradient/lcIz28qY">concentration gradient</a>. </p><p>It is found widely in nature and especially in mammalian organs. For example, it can refer to the process that is underlying the process of <a href="/facts/Urine/oNUYVtvX">urine</a> concentration, that is, the production of <a href="/facts/Hyperosmotic/ev5qcKQh">hyperosmotic</a> urine by the <a href="/facts/Mammalian_kidney/yWHP3uEf">mammalian kidney</a>. The ability to concentrate urine is also present in <a href="/facts/Bird/RJF6zwLP">birds</a>. </p><p>Countercurrent multiplication is frequently mistaken for <a href="/facts/Countercurrent_exchange/MzFulDv1">countercurrent exchange</a>, a similar but different mechanism where gradients are maintained, but not established. </p>