Spirit Magazine - September 2013 - (Page 37)
The Numbers
PHoTograPHY © Ben WeLSH/CorBIS
Electric eels
generate
enough juice
to power
10
lightbulbs.
That’s about 600 volts—or five times
the electricity you’ll get from a wall
socket. How does such a slowmoving fish unleash all that energy?
“It has specialized organs that contain
thousands of electrically excitable
cells, each of which can produce 100
to 150 millivolts,” says Bruce Carlson,
a biology professor at Washington
University in St. Louis. “When the eel
feels threatened or is hunting prey, it
triggers all of the cells simultaneously,
creating a surge capable of lighting
up a Christmas tree.” Despite what
you’ve seen in cartoons, there is no
glow involved, only subtle twitches.
You’d be twitchy, too, if you were
habitually misidentified. It turns out
the electric eel isn’t an eel at all—it’s
a knifefish. Shocking, right?
september 2013 spirit
37
Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Spirit Magazine - September 2013
Contents
Gary's Greeting
Gary's Greeting en Español
Star of the Month
Freedom Story
From the Editor
Your Words
Your Pictures
Media Center
Eat Drink Sleep
The Numbers
Business
Chomp, Chomp
"Are You Famous Amos?"
Health
Calendar
Fun!
Spotlight
Community Outreach
Products and Services
Flight Service
Terminal Maps
Information
Rapid Rewards Partners
Route Map
The "If" List
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