Page 155 - The Miracle in the Cell

HARUN YAHYA

he crucial need for energy that we cannot
do without is a key factor in many vital
areas such as technology and industry,
transport and communication. This is
why massive dams, refineries, and even
nuclear power plants are built, and why a large
proportion of a country's budget is allocated to energy pro-
duction. We spend a lot of money even on the cars we use for every-
day business.
So if energy is so expensive, how does the body produce the
energy it uses? Where does it get its energy from, and in what form is
it used?

The Cell and Energy

In order to produce the energy it needs, the body utilizes hun-
dreds of tiny power stations called mitochondria (See Figure 8.1).
There, the chemical energy obtained from nutrients in your diet is
packaged in packets called ATP that your cells can use. All processes
in the cell that promote life take place as a result of the energy readi-
ly available in these energy packets produced in the mitochondria.
So what is the cost of this energy?
For comparison's sake, consider the gasoline that fuels your car.
This is first drilled out of the ground in the form of crude oil, then
transported by ship to refineries, where it passes through many com-
plex chemical processes that convert it into gasoline. The motor in
your car and the gas it uses are both made to work with each other.
Your car will not run on any other fuel. In a similar way, the electrici-
ty is produced with great effort and expense in hydroelectric dams
and huge hydroelectric power stations. In both cases, advanced
knowledge and technology are utilized.

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