The spark of life
The body's wiring system
The ultimate electric pump
Electric senses and future tech
What is the term for the process where a cell membrane's electrical charge rapidly becomes more positive?
How do electrical signals cross the tiny gap, or synapse, between two separate nerve cells?
sonia Connect the body's circuits to discover how electrical signals move your muscles.
sonia Microscopic protein gates in cell membranes open instantly to let charged particles rush in, creating an electrical wave.
What is the name of the rapid electrical reversal that travels down a nerve cell membrane?
What fatty substance insulates nerve fibers to prevent electrical signals from leaking?
sonia The body's wiring system
We are electric, we are electric! Every cell is a tiny battery!
sonia A fatty coating called myelin wraps around nerve fibers to keep electrical signals from leaking and speed them up.
Approximately how fast can electrical signals travel along the body's fastest insulated nerve fibers?
What are the tiny gaps in the myelin sheath that allow electrical signals to jump and travel faster?
Nerve speed: Electrical signals in your myelinated motor nerves can travel at speeds of up to 268 miles per hour.
Which structures in the cell membrane open and close to selectively let electrical ions pass through?
What is the long, cable-like part of a neuron that carries electrical signals away from the cell body?
The network of nerve cells and fibers that transmits nerve impulses between parts of the body. In 1780, Luigi Galvani demonstrated how electrical currents travel through this biological network to contract muscles.