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Energy in Cells - Chapter 4

Series
Biology: The Whole Story
Video Audio Embed
Learn how cells generate energy by harnessing chemical reactions, with Professor Lindsay Turnbull from the University of Oxford
Cells need energy to run their activities, which they obtain by harnessing chemical reactions. Join Lindsay Turnbull from the University of Oxford as she explains how one reaction - aerobic respiration - is perfect for supporting the energy-demanding lifestyles of active animals, like us.

Aerobic respiration ultimately relies on a chemical reaction between oxygen and hydrogen. This reaction is so explosive that humans used it to launch a rocket into space, but the cell mostly needs much smaller amounts of energy. Find out how cells have tamed this reaction by using it to turn a molecular turbine. The turbine then re-charges small molecular 'batteries', called ATP, which can deliver energy all around the cell.

Timestamps:
00:00 Intro
00:21 Titles
00:27 Life and the Laws of Thermodynamics
01:32 How life harnesses chemical reactions
03:50 Are cells like rockets?
04:45 How cells generate energy
06:57 Aerobic respiration
08:01 Photosynthesis
09:58 Outro

More in this series

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Biology: The Whole Story
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Sexual Reproduction - Chapter 3

Almost all species use sex to reproduce, but biologists struggle to understand why; join Professor Lindsay Turnbull from the University of Oxford as she explains the costs and benefits
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Biology: The Whole Story
Captioned

Bacteria - Chapter 5

Learn about the microbiome, the amazing flexibility of bacteria, and why we have an antibiotic resistance crisis with Professor Lindsay Turnbull from the University of Oxford
Next
Transcript Available

Episode Information

Series
Biology: The Whole Story
People
Lindsay Turnbull
Keywords
cells
Energy
aerobic respiration
animals
ATP
Department: Department of Plant Sciences
Date Added: 01/12/2023
Duration: 00:10:33

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