how does the body create electricity?

[cameron marical]

how does the body create electricity? i know we use it to think, and move, but what and where creates it? biology isnt realy my subject, even though how interesting it is, i am realy interested in energy and electricity production though. and im curios how we derive electricity, though we dont have any copper or ceramic-titanium mixes in us{as far as i know}

and that sparcks up another q, how does the atmosphere make electricity, or the clouds. like lightning. is it the water in the clouds and the movement adjacent to the magnetized earth? i know this isnt really biology, but i thought id ad that on and see if i can kill 2 birds with one stone.

[minus_Ph]

how does the body create electricity? i know we use it to think, and move, but what and where creates it? biology isnt realy my subject, even though how interesting it is, i am realy interested in energy and electricity production though. and im curios how we derive electricity, though we dont have any copper or ceramic-titanium mixes in us{as far as i know}

 

A little trick of pumping sodium and potassium ions (atoms stripped of an electron) in and out of cells. This creates a charge imbalance that is imposed across the cell walls that conveniently happen to be good insulators.

That is the voltage, when a nerve wants to fire things move around (the current)

 

and that sparcks up another q, how does the atmosphere make electricity, or the clouds. like lightning. is it the water in the clouds and the movement adjacent to the magnetized earth? i know this isnt really biology, but i thought id ad that on and see if i can kill 2 birds with one stone.

 

In a single word friction.

It is slightly more complex than that as the friction works better between layers of air with differing humidity or temperature.

Then there is a small current falling from the sky or climbing into the sky depending on you latitude that is the natural implementation of the aurora's.

That current is a result of the solar wind of charged particles and earths own magnetic field.

~minus

[C_Sagan_Returns]

how does the body create electricity? i know we use it to think, and move, but what and where creates it? biology isnt realy my subject, even though how interesting it is, i am realy interested in energy and electricity production though. and I'm curious how we derive electricity, though we dont have any copper or ceramic-titanium mixes in us{as far as i know}

 

The most obvious example of current conduction in biological systems is that propagated by the "action potential(s)" of nerve cells (as previously stated). A more specific and fascinating mechanism of electricity production in biology is that of ATPsynthase.

 

ATPsynthase is a membrane-bound protein-complex comprised of dozens of species which together function as a molecular turbine. This "proton pump" funnels the residual hydrogen ions (protons, +), left over from the various metabolic processes constituting life, outside the cell.

 

This continuous dumping action inevitably creates a "membrane potential" or gradient because of the accumulation of positive charge outside the cell (or organelle) which results in a charge deficient (due the intrinsic ionization of water), or negative charge, inside the cell (or organelle). The larger the difference, or gradient, the more energy is required to push protons out.

 

Eventually the "flood gates" of the ATPsynthase protein-complex allow protons to flow back, down their concentration gradient, activating the turbine, and manufacturing ATP. Although technically not a flow of electrons, this current of protons is created by the incessant tug of both gradient and charge (opposites attract).

 

Interesting, isn't it?

 

Let's not forget about the Electron Transport System which includes anything involving: NAD+, NADH, FAD, FADH2, and others which participate in oxidation-reduction (redox) reactions transferring electrons from substrate to substrate.

 

CSR

Edited January 31, 2009 by C_Sagan_Returns
Forgot all about REDOX

[mabsj2]

how does the body create electricity? i know we use it to think, and move, but what and where creates it? biology isnt realy my subject, even though how interesting it is, i am realy interested in energy and electricity production though. and im curios how we derive electricity, though we dont have any copper or ceramic-titanium mixes in us{as far as i know}

and that sparcks up another q, how does the atmosphere make electricity, or the clouds. like lightning. is it the water in the clouds and the movement adjacent to the magnetized earth? i know this isnt really biology, but i thought id ad that on and see if i can kill 2 birds with one stone.

 

Totally agree with C_Sagan_Returns and cameron marical. Electricity is conducted by movement of charged particles (sodium and potassium ions). this occurs during transmission of a Neuro impulse and the process is called Active Potential.

Edited February 1, 2009 by mabsj2
spelling error

[cameron marical]

active potential, way cool. where does this all happen at?

[iNow]

I believe they meant Action Potential, and it happens in the nervous system. It's how the signal is conducted over distance.

 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Action_potential

 

 

Mabsj2 - If that's not what you meant, please clarify, as I've never heard of Active Potential when describing neural processes.

[Mokele]

I should note that muscle cell membranes are also electrically excitable, and this excitation is what stimulates contraction (hence why people convulse when shocked with electricity).

[cameron marical]

oh ok. so our movements are pretty much just twitches caused by electricity?

[Mokele]

Not entirely - muscles will twitch from a single burst from a neuron, but if the neuron fires at the muscle above a certain frequency, the muscle will just stay contracted.

[cameron marical]

oh, then how do we actually move our arms and legs? its not like we have small motors in our joints.

[Mokele]

The muscles contract, pulling on bones. The muscles are controlled by neurons. A single pulse from the neuron will make the muscle cell twitch, but a sustained series of pulses from the neuron will make it contract smoothly.

[cameron marical]

oh ok. cool cool. thanks man.

[mabsj2]

ohh sorry, its ACTION POTENTIAL not Active Potential. Sorry about that

[iNow]

No worries. It happens. I was concerned that there was a pretty key piece of my studies that I had just completely missed, or which had been forgotten due to too many parties.

[Glider]

To be clear, the action potential only refers to the depolarisation of the cell membrane at a given point. Movement of the action potential down the axon is called propogation.

[A-Ron21]

oh, then how do we actually move our arms and legs? its not like we have small motors in our joints.

 

I just had a test on this! haha. Basically, a signal comes down a motor neuron to whats called the neuromuscular junction, where a nerve basically attaches to a muscle. The signal causes the end of the motor neuron to release Acetylcholine, which binds to the receptor at the junction and stimulates the sarcoplasmic reticulum, which is sort of a sheath that surrounds the muscle.

 

The S.R. then opens up and floods Ca+ into the muscle, which then bind to something called the troponin-tropomyosin complex. When the Ca+ binds to it, the T-TMC shifts position and underneath it basically are two different proteins, myosin and actin. When the T-TMC shifts position, the myosin, which lies inside the actin, forms cross-bridges and connects with the actin. The myosin literally pulls itself forward to connect with the actin - and when you multiply that many many times you get a muscle cell to contract.