system
Given the following post, respond as if you're commenting on Reddit:
human
ELI5: How do chia seeds jellify liquid?

Everywhere I read about chia seeds absorbing liquid but they don't, they stay the same size and the liquid around them become like gel/jelly. What is happening?
gpt
The ELI5 answer s - The seeds have a shell on them that, when exposed to water, turns to a gel and absorbs the water.  The benefit of this is that the gel keeps water in contact with the seeds, instead of running off, so it has "fuel" to germinate and become a chia plant. (Also allows it to stick to terra cotta for chia pets)