How metabolism, when cells convert molecules into energy, works

How does your body turn food into energy?

Cells get energy via a process known as cellular respiration, which involves turning glucose into ATP or adenosine triphosphate. Breaking the phosphate bonds of ATP results in usable energy being released into cells, which can then use that energy to power biological processes. This 10-minute video explains how glucose turns into ATP, giving the body the energy it needs to survive.

Is metabolism related to weight loss?

Read this article to better understand metabolism and why doctors say it's only one piece in the puzzle to managing weight. Metabolism breaks down and converts what we consume into energy, which provides fuel for all of our body's functions—both...

What is a cell? A great quick overview.

YourGenome.org furnishes a collection of information on cells and how they work. Every body has trillions of cells, each serving a specific function: making proteins, processing chemicals, and creating energy. Every cell contains a genome, a set of instructions for the cell's function. Brush up on your cells for a better grasp on genetics.

What is metabolic rate?

Read this article to better understand the concept of metabolic rate, which is defined as the amount of energy expended by an organism over the course of a day. Basic metabolic rate (or BMR) is this metabolic rate at rest, during which the body only...

Spontaneous metabolism may give clues to origins of life

Read this article to learn more about the discovery that suggests that metabolism could have begun spontaneously on our planet—and why it means that scientists may need to rethink how we define life’s origins. A team of researchers at the...

Some organelles are believed to have once been independent cells

Mitochondria and chloroplasts, which are both responsible for energy production in cells, have DNA distinct from that of their host cells and are surrounded by cellular membranes resembling those of bacteria. Through symbiogenesis, these and other specialized structures were absorbed into larger cells, forming the modern-day biological units.

Metastasis: When cancer cells begin to travel through the body

Metastatic cancer starts in one part of the body and moves to another over time. This is known as metastasis. Such cancers are much more harmful since they attack multiple parts of the body, adapting new metabolic changes to suit the various environments found throughout a body.

Complex molecular reactions in our tissues cause muscle contraction

When we want to move a muscle, a signal travels from the brain and into the muscle cells in question, sparking a chemical reaction that causes the muscle's smallest contractile units—sarcomeres—to shorten, forcing the muscle to contract.

Synthetic biology transforms cells into custom DNA foundries

At companies like Ginkgo Bioworks, researchers are reprogramming cells to act as workshops that can create custom molecules, such as medicines and fertilizers, by stitching together DNA sequences—often in novel combinations—before inserting them into an organism's genome.

Batteries store energy in chemical bonds that can be turned into electricity

To achieve a more stable, nonreactive state, many elements in nature are reactive and will seek to lose electrons via oxidation or gain electrons through reduction reactions. By pairing an oxidizing chemical with a reducing chemical in a battery, electrons will naturally flow between them, producing an electric current.

What is the gut microbiome?

The gut microbiome is a microscopic ecosystem that runs off the work of microbes in the digestive tract. These workers make getting energy from food possible. What and how that energy manifests depends on what building blocks these microbes have to work with, meaning their composition and functions are strongly influenced by diet. Gut microbes have their own genes, which affect how a person's genes act.

How fermentation works

Alcoholic fermentation is the process where yeast transforms grape sugars into ethanol, creating wine. Microscopic fungi (commonly known as yeast) metabolize sugars, producing alcohol and carbon dioxide. Fermentation's speed and temperature impact wine's flavor and style: cooler temps suit fruity whites, while warmer ones enhance red's tannins. Fermentation stops when sugars are depleted or by temperature extremes, and sometimes yeast removal yields sweeter wines. Get a quick breakdown of the process with this easy explainer.

Learn about the chemical refinement of crude oil, from cracking to reforming and blending

Just as an organism's digestive system can break down complex molecules in food into simple sugars that cells can use, cracking uses catalysts and other chemicals to break apart large hydrocarbons in crude oil into smaller molecules. These can then be chemically reshaped, combined, or purified into useful petroleum products.

Explore how cells respond to signals from their environment

In "Dropping Signals," users can drag stimuli, such as hormones and light, into various cellular environments to observe cellular responses. These include changing their shape, enabling the transport of chemicals into or out of the cell via the cell membrane, or dividing to compensate for surrounding damaged cells.

See this 201-level explanation about mitochondria and mitochondrial replacement therapy

This 2022 academic presentation from Stanford University's Dr. Gregory Enns offers a detailed overview about mitochondrial therapy approaches. Enns, a pediatric geneticist, explains how well-functioning mitochondria support the human body.

How humans digest food

Every day, the average human eats close to six pounds of food—all of which must be processed by the digestive system. Ten organs collaborate to transform food that the mouth chews into the energy needed to stay alive. (Stretched out, these organs...

Internal-combustion engines convert fuel into motion using controlled explosions

Gasoline engines mix fuel and air, compressing it and igniting it to create thousands of tiny explosions that push pistons up and down. This movement spins the crankshaft, which moves a vehicle's wheels.

Stem cells can reboot the ability of cells to repair themselves

Stem cells—special cells that can self-renew and evolve into new cell types—may provide a path to address aging. Instead of repairing aging cells, stem cells can replace a cell's "repair kit," effectively rebooting the internal processes of tissues to a more youthful state.

Landfills capture methane gas and convert it into usable energy

As organic waste breaks down underground, it produces landfill gas that is roughly 50% methane. That gas can be captured and used to generate electricity or provide heat for nearby homes and businesses.

Humans need vitamins, but research is mixed on taking supplements

When an organism needs an organic molecule to survive, but cannot synthesize enough of it itself, that molecule is called a vitamin. Typically, we consume vitamins through food, but many resort to supplements—a common and mostly unregulated practice.

Necrosis is the unplanned death of cells and the tissue they comprise

If cells die prematurely due to a lack of blood flow, injury, or disease, they and their organelles can swell, leading to rupture of the surrounding cell membrane. This releases the cell's contents into the surrounding tissue, causing inflammation and damage to neighboring cells.

How fusion—which releases energy when two lighter atoms combine to form a heavier atom—differs from fission

A macrophage can eat 100 bacteria, on average, before it's exhausted

These specialized immune cells are first responders during inflammation, responding to a threat or injury and then performing other inflammatory response tasks, including summoning neutrophils to help attack invaders.

Learn how your body is, scientifically, like a firework with its own slow, controlled burn.

What happens to your brain when you burn out?

You've probably heard of burnout, also known as the feeling of exhaustion that happens after a long period of being overwhelmed or stressed. It's often associated with work and careers, but other parts of life, like parenting, can cause burnout, too. Scientists are figuring out what happens, biochemically speaking, in the brain when burnout hits—and spoiler alert, it includes a neurotransmitter called glutamate. Watch this video to learn more.

Watch a visualization of a fission chain reaction

When a neutron collides with an atom, it is absorbed into the nucleus. If the resulting nucleus is unstable, it can undergo a series of decays that turn it into a less massive nucleus while releasing energy and other particles.

How the sun heats the Earth

We all know it: Without the sun's heat, the Earth would be uninhabitable. So how does it work? The sun fuses roughly 600 million tons of hydrogen every second, the energy from which bursts out into space—including toward our planet. Our atmosphere...

Bone marrow (soft tissue found inside certain bones) generates roughly 500 billion new blood cells each day

Studies suggest when you sleep is as important as how much you get, and syncing with your circadian rhythms may lead to less fatigue and improved long-term health outcomes

Visualize how CRISPR-Cas9—a type of immune system used by single-celled organisms to attack invasive viruses—targets and makes precise changes to a gene's DNA.

Tattoos remain visible on your skin thanks to immune cells called macrophages

Watch what the Ebola virus does inside our cells and organs in order to spread and survive.

Memecoins are a type of cryptocurrency—a form of digital currency with a wide variety of uses—created around popular 'memes,' or viral internet jokes.

The first line of 'immortal' human cells, which can divide indefinitely and are used in scientific research, was nonconsensually taken from a Black woman.

Pure water does not conduct electricity because this flow of energy requires the movement of charged particles, and water is a neutral molecule.

The use of fungi to detoxify land and water—a process known as mycoremediation—has been used to clean up natural resources affected by the 2025 California wildfires.

Radioactive elements can introduce software errors because the ionizing radiation they produce can detach electrons from atoms, and computer code relies on the distribution of electrons.

Shooting stars, or meteors, are fragments of asteroids and comets that burn up as they enter Earth's atmosphere, creating streaks in the sky called meteor showers.

Coral reefs get their colors from zooxanthellae—microorganisms that line corals' digestive tracts and provide them with sugars in exchange for a home within this protective tissue.

The history of many kitchen appliances involves unexpected discoveries and applications, including wartime radar turned hamster defroster and replacing an 'ice king' with heat-stealing boxes.

How Amazon operates a 'flywheel' business model, a self-reinforcing cycle that drives continuous growth

The hormonal disorder PCOS was renamed PMOS in 2026, a move designed to improve care and research by shifting the focus to the hormonal causes of this condition that affects 1 in 8 women.

Volcanoes 'die' when their supply of magma runs out, if they are shifted away from their underlying magma reservoir, or if they get clogged by collapsing or their magma cooling back into rock.

The first steps to rebuilding your credit score include getting to know exactly what's on your credit report and figuring out how far you are from the '700 club,' or 'good score' range.

An initial public offering or 'IPO' is the process of a private company becoming public by putting shares of the company on the stock market for purchase.

The price of gas is a composite made up of several different factors, with the federal gas tax making up less than 20% of what drivers pay at the pump.

This site reaches millions of visitors who are tired of AI chatbots and seeking human connection. Pretend to be an AI chatbot and ask questions, provide answers, and draw for people in real time.

Use this tool to calculate the dollar value of your parental mental load, from meal planning to coordinating after-school care, then see resources that help generate solutions.

The term 'algorithm' originated from the Latinized name of al-Khwārizmī, a 9th-century mathematician whose works introduced Arabic numerals and the decimal-based numeral system to Europe and whose treatise 'Al-Jabr' gave algebra its name.

A small portion of The Winstons' 'Amen, Brother,' an obscure '60s gospel record, is the basis for thousands of hip-hop tracks, making it one of the most sampled records ever that's informally known as 'the Amen break.'