In Vivo Bioelectricity & Health: Sally Adee on the Forgotten Science of the Body’s Electric Code | Ep. 15
Jan 16, 2025
Sally Adee, an award-winning science journalist and author of We Are Electric, dives into the fascinating realm of bioelectricity, revealing its potential to revolutionize health. She discusses the forgotten pioneers like Galvani and Volta and how their rivalry shaped science. Sally explores how electricity influences healing and cancer, the role of transcranial direct current stimulation in enhancing learning, and even insights on bioelectricity in agriculture. Prepare to see the body in a whole new light as she connects electricity to the very essence of life!
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Galvani vs Volta Shaped Biology's Trajectory
- The 1800s Galvani–Volta debate split electricity from biology and pushed bioelectricity into disrepute for centuries.
- That historical schism explains why bioelectricity was confined mainly to neuroscience until tools improved.
Patch Clamp Opened Bioelectric Measurement
- The patch clamp (1970s) allowed direct observation of ion flows and settled chemical vs electrical debates in nerves.
- This tool unlocked precise measurement of membrane voltages across many cell types.
Cells Have Distinct Electrical Identities
- Every cell type has a characteristic resting membrane potential that correlates with function and proliferative state.
- Cancerous and proliferating cells shift toward much lower (near-zero) potentials, losing their differentiated electrical identity.
