Mitochondria Over Chatter
Most of us have heard of Mitochondria, but I decided to take a closer look at the little goobers to see if I like them or not. See what you think.
Mitochondria are small round or peanut shaped compartments (0.5–10 micrometers) that are partitioned off by membranes. They are only found in complex cells.
There can be anywhere from one to one thousand mitochondria in a single cell. These organelles are often called the “power plants” of the cell because those who study them believe their main job is to make energy.
Mitochondria are actually very interesting little buggers because they contain their own genetic material (genome) and protein-making machinery enwrapped in a double membrane.
Many scientists believe mitochondria were once free-living bacteria that colonized complex cells at some point during evolution and then became a necessary part to the health of the organism. I wonder if viruses could do that for us too.
Besides their role in energy production, mitochondria participate in a natural process called programmed cell death–or PCD–during development.
Scientists do not completely understand PCD, or how obsolete cells self-destruct when ther’e no tissue damage. But that’s not surprising, folks—scientists don’t understand how cells come into being, either.
Do you want to see a complete tour of the cell? Click here. You’ll be glad you did.
Tags: mitochondria