The Biology of Electricity

Electricity is defined by the Wikipedia, as ‘a form of energy resulting from the existence of charged particles (such as electrons or protons), either statically, as an accumulation of charge, or dynamically, as a current’. In the last century, Electricity and its applications have transformed society. Today, every second of every day, unconsciously, without even realizing it, we use some gadget, or tool, or machine, powered by electricity. If we were to ask children, or even adults, to name something which is powered by this awesome force, it would be very simple for them to reel off everything from computers, to light bulbs, to machineries, to refrigerators, to mobile phones. But, I suspect, none of them would name the most complex electrically powered machine in the world. In fact, we all use this machine every single moment of our lives. Yes, I am talking about the human body. The human body, or the body of any living organism for that matter, would count under the most complex of machineries powered by the
the force of electricity. Of course, I am sure that at a fundamental level, most people know that every activity in the body from the beating of the heart, to sensing of our surroundings; from the complex cognitive functioning of the brain to the loved one's feels – is powered by chemical reactions. And every chemical reaction occurs due to the complete or partial exchange of electric charges. Thus, even though most children, and even many adults, do not consciously think about it, it is apparent that electric charges play an important role in the formation of life, as it does in determining the
very structure of all matter. However, what is not as apparent is all the
different ways in which electricity sustains life. In this article, I will explore some examples of this.