Word: atp
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Dates: during 1940-1949
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Muscles, he says, are chemical engines that get their energy from a compound called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Their active portions are submicroscopic fibers made of a peculiar protein called actomyosin. When the protein is linked with ATP (to supply energy), it is like a coiled spring or a loaded gun. An electrical impulse from the nervous system can "fire the gun," making the fibers contract powerfully...