Science
How does cellular respiration work?
Cellular respiration is how cells turn food into usable energy. They break down glucose using oxygen, releasing energy that's stored in a molecule called ATP, with carbon dioxide and water as byproducts — essentially the reverse of photosynthesis.
See it in motion.
Watch a 2-minute animated lesson that shows exactly how cellular respiration works.
Step by step
- 1Cells break down glucose to release energy.
- 2Oxygen is used; CO2 and water are released.
- 3Energy is stored in ATP, the cell's energy currency.
- 4Most of it happens in the mitochondria.
Frequently asked questions
- How does cellular respiration work?
- Cells break down glucose with oxygen to release energy stored as ATP, producing CO2 and water.
- Where does cellular respiration happen?
- Mostly in the mitochondria, often called the cell's powerhouses.
- How is it related to photosynthesis?
- It's roughly the reverse: photosynthesis stores energy in glucose; respiration releases it.