Electricity- circuitry, power and application....wait, I thought we were learning about life forms??

Imagine the circuitry needed to power a house. The complexity of wiring every room with resisters and dividers to slow, to split and direct the current to where it is needed. Then consider what makes the of the source of the electricity causing the current to pour into the house powering all the appliances, lights and other attachments that are designed to use and connect to the circuitry.

Any electrician can explain how every attachment has to connect properly, with clear designation of thickness of wire, appropriate resisters, circuit breakers and wiring. If not, the circuit blows, or the current is too weak or does not connect etc.

So too our bodies are a web of bioelectrical circuitry with its own design of wiring and connecting parts. These are what allow our body to feel sensations, move, send commands to the body and even causes the heart to beat. (For Example-this is why a defibullator is needed to shock the heart when someone has a heart attack)

Besides for the complexity of our own bioelectrical bodies there are many life forms that have the ability to take advantage of this power for their survival. Whether to navigate, find food or for attack and defence. Different animals have specialised organs that create and utilise electricity.

Sharks

Electrical usage as we know it can be divided into passive or active. Passive means an animal has the ability to sense electricity though they do not use it actively themselves, it is mainly for finding food. Imagine a shark is hunting in murky waters, yet it smells blood and knows food is close. It feels a disturbance in the water nearby due to changes in water pressure and can vaguely see a form to attack so it circles around and comes in for a charge, opens its mouth wide and roles its eyes back for protection then suddenly…..it completely misses. The fish changed direction seeing the shark and inconveniently decides to go the other way.

Now that seems silly to put the eyes on top of the head, then make them role back at the moment of striking…..well, it is only silly if one does not realise that all-around the top of the mouth and nose are pits in the skin called electro-senses which sense any electricity the fish uses to move. If one ever has the opportunity to come that close they can be seen as little black dots that are filled with a type of electro-sensitive jelly. So let’s back up a bit….. the shark charges, opens its mouth wide, eyes role back and a flash of electro-vision reveals to the shark that the fish is making an escape to the right so the shark thrashes to the right clamps down and catches the fish! There is a reason why sharks are feared, they are the perfect hunting machine.