Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story:Our bodies are crackling with energy, and our cells make use of that energy using methods honed over billions of years of evolution. However, a new study suggests that cells could possibly be leveraging a surprising source of energy known as flexoelectricity, which transforms mechanical deformation into minuscule electrical signals. The researchers suggest that the churning, non-equilibrium environment of membranes surrounding cells could be enough energy to support biological functions such as ion transport. Life requires energy, so it makes sense that the cells that make up our bodies have become extremely adept at utilizing any energy source on hand over billions of years of evolution. What they found is that the fluctuations in membranes surrounding cells produced roughly 90 millivolts—enough to fire a neuron.