Related Experiment Videos
Cooperative interactions in nerve membrane potential and in photosynthesis, evidenced by non-linear Arrhenius plots
Abstract:
The resting membrane potential of Aplysia nerve and the rate of photosynthesis by intact Chlorella cells have temperature dependences characterized by curved Arrhenius plots, for which the logarithm of the activation energy is a linear function of temperature. Ferromagnetic and ferroelectric systems show similar curves, which suggests that the above two biological systems are governed by cooperative interactions between adjacent molecular sites. Critical exponent analysis suggests the same conclusion.