The Machinery of Life
Move beyond basic definitions to understand the chemical engines, genetic circuits, and complex systems that drive every living thing on Earth.
Like Duolingo, but for The Machinery of Life. Tomo turns the whole topic into a game you play five minutes a day, until it actually sticks.
24 levels across 3 sections, about 48 minutes end to end, roughly 10 days at five minutes a day. It moves through The Cellular Engine, Information and Inheritance, and Systems and Survival. It assumes you already know the basics.
Free forever · No credit card · iPhone & Android
Key ideas in The Machinery of Life
- ATP becomes ADP by losing one phosphate group to release energy
- Enzymes lower activation energy so reactions happen faster at body temp
- Cells recharge ADP back into ATP by adding a phosphate using food energy
- The active site of an enzyme physically orients substrates to react
- The cyclical nature of the ATP-ADP cycle
- How enzymes facilitate reactions by lowering the energy barrier
- The electron transport chain pumps protons into the intermembrane space
- Glycolysis occurs in the cytoplasm and does not require oxygen
- Protons flowing back through ATP Synthase spin it like a turbine
- Nearly all living organisms use glycolysis, suggesting it is very ancient
- The mechanical sequence of the mitochondrial proton gradient
- The universal and anaerobic nature of glycolysis
- Glycolysis requires a steady supply of empty NAD+ to accept electrons
- Fermentation dumps electrons onto waste products like lactic acid to clear NAD+
- The role of fermentation in recycling electron carriers
- Phospholipids move laterally within the bilayer like a liquid
You've tried the other tabs
Thirty open tabs. Four facts you actually kept.
You watched. You nodded. By Sunday it was gone.
One answer, then back to scrolling.
Eight weeks. You meant to finish. You didn't.
Tomo gives The Machinery of Life the Duolingo treatment: levels, streaks, and quick quizzes that test what you just learned. That game loop is what the tabs above never had, so it's the one you actually finish.
Here's what playing it feels like
A real question from this course. Take your best guess.
How do enzymes help a cell perform chemical reactions at normal body temperatures?
Get it right to open this lesson and 23 more in the app.
How to learn The Machinery of Life, step by step
Go in order. 24 short levels across 3 sections, about 48 minutes in all, five minutes a day.
- 1
The Cellular Engine
- Powering the Cell
- The Dynamic Membrane
- 2
Information and Inheritance
- From Code to Protein
- Gene Regulation
- The Logic of Heredity
- 3
Systems and Survival
- Maintaining Homeostasis
- Evolutionary Mechanisms
- The Flow of Ecosystems
3 sections · 8 units · 24 levels. Built to play, not to enroll.
Questions about The Machinery of Life
How do I learn The Machinery of Life?
Go in order: start with The Cellular Engine, then Information and Inheritance, then Systems and Survival. On Tomo that's 24 short levels, about 48 minutes in all, played five minutes a day. Start free and play the first level in under a minute.
Is there a Duolingo-style app for The Machinery of Life?
Yes. Tomo works like Duolingo: short daily lessons, streaks and quick quizzes. The Machinery of Life is one of its free courses, and you can type any other topic to get a course of your own.
Is The Machinery of Life free?
Yes. The Machinery of Life is playable on Tomo's free plan, which doesn't expire. No credit card, no waitlist. Download the app and start your first lesson.
How long does it take to learn The Machinery of Life?
24 levels across 3 sections, about 48 minutes of play in total. It's built for five minutes a day, so you finish it a little at a time instead of all at once.
Do I need any background to start The Machinery of Life?
No. It's pitched at an intermediate level, so it starts where you are and builds up. If you can tap a phone, you can start.
Tomo is in ChatGPT
Tomo is also a ChatGPT plugin: the same playable courses, built and played inside your chat.
Add Tomo to ChatGPT- What to ask
- “Make me a Tomo course on black holes.” “Turn this chat into a Tomo course.”
- What you get
- Quick questions with instant feedback, hearts and stars, ready to play in about a minute.
- Where it goes
- No sign-up to start. Connect your Tomo account and your streak carries on in the app.
You pick the voice
The Machinery of Life is taught in the Professor style: clear, structured, thorough. Want a different feel? In the app you can spin up the same topic in any of Tomo's teaching styles. Same facts, totally different vibe.
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Start The Machinery of Life today.
Download Tomo, search The Machinery of Life, and play your first lesson in under a minute.