Chapter 1
The spark of life
Chapter 2
The body's wiring system
Chapter 3
The ultimate electric pump
Chapter 4
Electric senses and future tech
YOUR GOAL
Master of Electricity in the human body
Ch 1 · The spark of life
sonia Early scientists publicly shocked dead muscles, inspiring Mary Shelley to write her famous novel, Frankenstein, in 1818.
sonia A fierce debate over whether electricity came from inside the frog or the metal tools sparked the invention of the battery.
BETA
sonia Drag electrical signals along nerve pathways to discover how your brain talks to your body.
Fun Fact
Frog leg battery: Luigi Galvani's 1780 frog experiments proved biological tissues utilize electrical charges, which later inspired Mary Shelley's classic novel Frankenstein.
Glossary
ion channel (noun)
A specialized pore-forming protein that regulates the flow of ions across a cell membrane. In 1984, Frances Ashcroft discovered how these cellular pores regulate the electrical impulses triggering insulin secretion.
A specialized pore-forming protein that regulates the flow of ions across a cell membrane. In 1984, Frances Ashcroft discovered how these cellular pores regulate the electrical impulses triggering insulin secretion.
Quiz
What animal did Luigi Galvani use in his 1780 experiments that led to the discovery of bioelectricity?
Quiz
What term did Luigi Galvani use to describe the electrical force he believed was inherent to living tissues?
Quiz
What part of the cell acts as the gatekeeper, controlling the flow of ions to generate electricity?
Quiz
Which author was inspired by 19th-century 'galvanism' experiments to write a famous sci-fi novel?
Quiz
Who was the Italian scientist that publicly reanimated muscle movements in deceased subjects using electricity in 1803?
Quiz
Which two common dietary minerals are most responsible for generating electrical charges in human cells?
Quiz
What did Alessandro Volta invent in 1800 to prove that electricity didn't just come from animals?