Nerves and muscle cells are controlled by electrical impulses; but how can cells be electrically active? The answer lies in special protein molecules found within cell membranes
IMAGINE you are an engineer and asked to design a communications system linking a thousand or so small computers. A tricky assignment, but with astute use of cables and optical fibres, not impossible. Now imagine that, instead of computers, you are dealing with cells whose only means of communicating is to release chemicals. On top of that, these cells number more than ten billion and are found at both central and remote locations.…
