The Fuel Cells Inside Us

The chemical energy locked up in hydrogen is huge, and the combustion of hydrogen (i.e. the reaction between hydrogen and oxygen) has been used to power rocket engines. Hydrogen fuel cells also take advantage of the energy that is liberated when oxygen combines with hydrogen, but fuel cells do it stepwise resulting in a slower and more efficient source of power. The oxidative metabolism of nutrients, a process that takes place in mitochondria, also takes advantage of the energy that’s released when oxygen and hydrogen combine. Fuel cells and mitochondria share many characteristics. They both maximize the useful work that can be done by carrying out the reaction in discrete steps rather than one big bang. Both mitochondria and fuel cells pass electrons down a chain to generate power, and they both use oxygen as the ultimate electron acceptor.

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Excellent explanation of mitochondria! thanks. Maybe you can go into biophoton emission of infrared signals used by the microtubules of the neurons. thanks