Portrait of Lord Melvyn Bragg, host of In Our Time

Metabolism

Metabolism (, from Greek: μεταβολή metabolē, "change") is the set of life-sustaining chemical reactions in organisms. The three main functions of metabolism are: the conversion of the energy in food to energy available to run cellular processes; the conversion of food to building blocks for proteins, lipids, nucleic acids, and some carbohydrates; and the elimination of metabolic wastes.

2 episodes

Episodes in this category also belong to the following categories:

  1. Enzymes

    Melvyn Bragg and guests discuss enzymes, the proteins that control the speed of chemical reactions in organisms which would otherwise happen too slowly to keep the organisms alive.

    1 June 2017

    listen ↗

    Featuring: Nigel Richards, Sarah Barry, Jim Naismith

     
  2. Photosynthesis

    Melvyn Bragg and his guests discuss photosynthesis, a chemical process which drives most life on Earth.

    15 May 2014

    listen ↗

    Featuring: Sandra Knapp, Nick Lane, John F Allen