Unfortunately, for Cole MacGrath, the protagonist of 2009's inFAMOUS and the 2011 sequel inFAMOUS 2, lightning powers are exactly what he has. Stuck with them after a plot device explodes in his face, Cole used his powers for good or evil, depending on the mood of the player. But is it possible for a human being to display such incredible abilities? Let's find out.
The Set-Up:
You, as courier and every-man Cole MacGrath, are gifted with incredible electricity based powers. With these new found abilities, the player can either choose to help the people of Empire City, or gain more power, in the classic "superhero or supervillian" dichotomy. Also, there's some stuff about time travel and a plague and some other things. This is all irrelevant thought, we're here for lightning hands.
The Science:
Right off the bat, I'm going to have to deviate from the source material. In the games, Cole has to charge himself with energy from an electrical source, like power lines or railway tracks. In essence, he is really more of a Conduit (this is a hilarious joke) for the electricity, rather than generating it himself. Try as I might, I couldn't find any examples of this in real world, except for maybe this guy, and even then he's only channelling the electricity, not storing it. So we're going to have to get a little creative.
As such, here's a picture of an electric eel.
These guys, along with a few other species of animal are capable of bioelectrogenesis, which is the scientific term used to refer to an living organism producing electricity. Electric eels use this ability to stun, and sometimes kill their prey. In fact, the power the average electric eel puts out (about 500 volts and 1 ampere) is enough to kill an adult human.
Bioelectrogenesis uses a series of cells in the body that can trigger an electrical current, called electrocytes. On their own, these little cells are only capable of generating about 0.15V of electricity, but the electric eel has thousands of these cells all stacked up in a line. These make up what is known as the Hunter's Organ, which actually takes up most of the eel's body.
The cells contain positive sodium and potassium ions. These are charged molecules that exist in balanced levels inside and outside of the cell. However, if the eel needs to attack some prey, it needs to upset this balance. The eel's brain releases a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which then activates special pumps on the electrocytes. This causes the balance of ions to shift dramatically, and the polarity of the cells changes. This rapid change in so many cells at once triggers an electrical current and ZAP.
So how does this relate to Cole and his powers? Well, scientists have been studying the electrocytes of the electric eels and have put forward a theory of possibly implanting artificial cells into the human body in order to power medical implants, like pacemakers. If it were possible to implant these cells into the human body, you could theoretically load up your arm with electrocytes and be able to trigger a powerful electrical current using your mind.
Theoretically, at least.
As such, here's a picture of an electric eel.
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| FUN FACT: the electric eel isn't an eel; it's a species of knifefish |
Bioelectrogenesis uses a series of cells in the body that can trigger an electrical current, called electrocytes. On their own, these little cells are only capable of generating about 0.15V of electricity, but the electric eel has thousands of these cells all stacked up in a line. These make up what is known as the Hunter's Organ, which actually takes up most of the eel's body.
The cells contain positive sodium and potassium ions. These are charged molecules that exist in balanced levels inside and outside of the cell. However, if the eel needs to attack some prey, it needs to upset this balance. The eel's brain releases a neurotransmitter called acetylcholine, which then activates special pumps on the electrocytes. This causes the balance of ions to shift dramatically, and the polarity of the cells changes. This rapid change in so many cells at once triggers an electrical current and ZAP.
So how does this relate to Cole and his powers? Well, scientists have been studying the electrocytes of the electric eels and have put forward a theory of possibly implanting artificial cells into the human body in order to power medical implants, like pacemakers. If it were possible to implant these cells into the human body, you could theoretically load up your arm with electrocytes and be able to trigger a powerful electrical current using your mind.
Theoretically, at least.
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