No Science Sunday: Squid and Soy Sauce Edition

For some explanation of my last paper, the aberrant RNA results in chloride channels that don't work properly in the muscle membrane of the genetically altered mice. Ion channels are very important in muscles. Electrochemical gradients caused by ion concentration makes action potential in muscles possible. Not directly related to the article at all, but an interesting video nonetheless, here's what happens when people pour a lot of sodium over a squid.

Ion pumps maintain the ion gradient across the membrane in a living organism necessary for coordinated movements in the muscle. In the video, the high sodium content of the soy sauce briefly increases the extracellular concentration of sodium  Naturally, these want to diffuse across the membrane to try to reach a state of equilibrium between the inner and outer sections of the membrane. The electrochemical gradient depolarizes the squid neurons, generating action potentials.

In the video, this has less to do with the pumps than it does with the gradient of sodium ions. Still, it's a good illustration of the importance of ions and the pumps which regulate them.