Tag Archives: energy

Cellular Respiration – Part I

By | October 14, 2021

Earth came into existence some 4.5 billions year ago and based on the fossil evidence from ancient rocks of Greenland, the life on earth dates to 3.7 billion years ago.  The organisms that existed for the first two billions years, after the origin of life, were all anaerobic organisms. These organisms managed to survive and… Read More »

Why are potassium ions more permeable than sodium ions?

By | July 20, 2021

Ion channels have three important properties: They are selective to specific ions They open and close to specific stimuli such as electrical, chemical, or mechanical signals They conduct ions across the membrane. The fastest flow of ions across channels is comparable to the fastest turnover of enzymes such as carbonic anhydrase or catalase. The turnover… Read More »

Mitochondria – The Powerhouse of the Cell

By | June 4, 2021

The mitochondrion is commonly called the ‘powerhouse of the cell’. Mitochondria (plural form) are double membrane-bound organelle that produces energy (adenosine triphosphate (ATP)) for the basal metabolism of the cell in most of the eukaryotic organism. Mitochondria require oxygen during the process of pyruvate breakdown and ATP synthesis. The end products of this process (oxidative… Read More »