Page 20 - The Miracle of Electricity in the Body

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THE NERVOUS SYSTEM:
THE NERVOUS SYSTEM:

ELECTRICITY’S JOURNEY
ELECTRICITY’S JOURNEY

THROUGH OUR BODIES
THROUGH OUR BODIES

H uman beings have a central nervous system, the most com-
plex biological system known. Billions of nerve cells, or
neurons, and the trillions of connections among them con-
stitute the nervous system’s main structure. The central nervous system
consists of more than 100 billion neurons. In addition, there are up to ten
times as many helper cells, known as neuroglia.
Our bodies are equipped with bio-electrical cables, known as
nerves, millions of meters in length. Information is transported along
these cables at a speed approaching that of light. The way nerves extend
to every point in our bodies, possessing an astonishing order, and the
way commands and information are carried by means of these cables,
are miraculous. Despite the intensity of the data flow involved, no con-
fusion ever occurs, and every message is transmitted scrupulously to its
destination.
Also surprising is that no matter how different the sensory informa-
tion, being forwarded—concerning the keyboard you touch, the taste of
the sweets you eat, the smell of newly baked bread, the sound of the tele-
phone or the sight of daylight entering your eyes—the same communi-
cations system is employed. All information regarding our senses or