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HOW MUSCLES WORK

Muscles form an intricate network of sinews throughout the body of animals.  

They respond to electrical stimulation which is carried from the brain to the muscle via nerves. 

There are different types of muscle, which are often made of different types of tissue. 

For example, the heart, which never stops beating, is made of a different material to skeletal muscle.

Skeletal muscle is attached to one end of a bone. It stretches all the way across a joint (the place where two bones meet) and then attaches again to another bone. 

Skeletal muscles are held to the bones with tendons.

Once the electrical signal reaches the muscle it triggers a contraction.  

This is done by two types of protein overlapping and working against each other. 

A thick filament composed of the protein myosin and a thin filament composed of the protein actin. 

Muscle contraction occurs when these filaments slide over one another in a series of repetitive events.

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