Human body and electricty | Mediateca de EducaMadrid

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How do our bodies create electricity? 00:00:04

The short answer is chemical energy. 00:00:07

To understand why, let's look at the long answer. 00:00:09

What most people think of as electricity is simply the movement of an electrical charge. 00:00:12

To move, and as a result use, the potential charge, we need an energy source. 00:00:16

Some of the most common are hydroelectric, nuclear, solar, and wind. 00:00:21

Technological advances have allowed us to harness these sources, giving us wonders like 00:00:25

computers and vibrating smartphones. 00:00:29

The energy created by chemicals is due to the reactions of the atoms and molecules present. 00:00:32

All of the elements we take in our bodies, like oxygen, sodium, potassium, and calcium, 00:00:37

have a specific electrical charge, meaning they have a specific number of electrons, 00:00:41

protons, and neutrons. 00:00:46

Those specific charges, whether positive or negative, react to the charges of adjacent 00:00:47

molecules. 00:00:52

This reaction is what creates the energy needed to create electricity. 00:00:53

When we eat or drink, the large molecules within our food get broken down by digestion, 00:00:57

creating similar molecules. 00:01:02

Those smaller molecules can be used by our cells to do work. 00:01:03

This process is called cellular respiration. 00:01:07

All of those molecules and elements in our bodies have the potential to create electrical 00:01:09

impulses. 00:01:13

Arguably, the most commonly mentioned electrical current within our bodies is the heart rhythm. 00:01:14

Hearts contain, within them, a grouping of cells known as your sinoatrial node, or SA 00:01:19

node. 00:01:25

These cells within the SA node, sometimes called the pacemaker of the heart, contain 00:01:26

electrolytes both inside and outside of the cells. 00:01:29

The most common electrolytes within the body are sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, 00:01:33

phosphorus and chloride. 00:01:37

Sodium and calcium generally reside outside of the SA node cells. 00:01:40

Potassium generally lies within them. 00:01:44

The cell membrane acts as a barrier between these electrolytes. 00:01:46

Pressure within the bloodstream allows sodium to enter the cell, causing potassium to leave 00:01:49

it. 00:01:53

Less potassium leaves the cell than sodium entering it. 00:01:54

The result is a continually growing positive charge. 00:01:57

When the charge reaches a certain point, calcium channels in the cell membrane open up and 00:02:01

allow for calcium to enter. 00:02:05

This makes the interior of the cell extremely positive compared to the outside of the cell, 00:02:07

known as an action potential. 00:02:12

Once that potential reaches a certain point, it has enough power to discharge down the 00:02:15

nerves of the heart. 00:02:19

This electricity causes the muscles to contract and your heart to beat. 00:02:20

Just crossing cell membranes, creating electrical discharges, is one of the countless ways the 00:02:25

body uses the food we eat to create energy and power to do work. 00:02:30

This is why the food content we eat is classified in calories, a calorie being a unit of energy. 00:02:35

As technology advances, medical science will continue to unravel all the mysteries surrounding 00:02:41

how the chemical reactions within our bodies maintain our daily lives and create our own 00:02:46

bioelectricity. 00:02:52

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