Crossword: Glycolysis

About this crossword

Sixteen clues on glycolysis, the pathway that splits one glucose molecule into two of pyruvate and that everything from a yeast cell to your muscles runs on. The grid crosses eight across with eight down, so every answer uncovers letters of the ones you still owe.

How to play

• Each solved word is worth 150 points.
• Chaining words without spending hints adds a +25 streak bonus per word, up to four in a row.
• You get 5 hints. Each reveals one letter of the active word and costs 50 points.
• Completing the grid pays a speed bonus of up to 600 points, dropping by 1 point for every second you took.

What it covers

The clues walk the whole pathway: the chemical group that traps glucose inside the cell, the enzymes that phosphorylate it, split it into two three-carbon halves and dehydrate 2-phosphoglycerate, the mineral cofactor without which the kinases stall, the two phases — the one that spends ATP and the one that pays it back with interest —, the cell compartment where it all happens, the net yield per glucose molecule, the coenzyme reduced along the way, and pyruvate's two fates depending on whether there is oxygen. Plus the hormone that activates pyruvate kinase.

The clues come from The 10 Reactions That Turn Glucose Into Energy, where the pathway is walked step by step, with maps and PDFs to download.