“They’re the only component in our cells that also carries its own DNA.”

Robert Jacobs, assistant professor of human physiology and nutrition at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs. Vamsi Mootha an investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute and a professor of Systems Biology and of Medicine at Harvard Medical School. ATP, or adenosine triphosphate, is the “cellular energy currency, and this is why mitochondria is called the ‘powerhouse of the cell.’”īut these tiny organelles are kind of weird and super fascinating, says Dr. “Mitochondria perform numerous functions. But there’s more to mitochondria than just keeping the molecular lights on. If you’re lucky enough to be able to remember back to high school biology class, you may recall being introduced to the mitochondria as the powerhouse of the cell. Robert Jacobs) Section divider What are mitochondria?

This is the story of mitochondria, and how tending to these basic building blocks of the body can make you a better athlete-just like building on any strong foundation for training. Rather, it’s the science fact that drives the very origins of life on Planet Earth and how you’re able to pedal your bike up that hill. With their powers combined, an extravagance of living forms flourished, and life as we know it began.īut this far-fetched alien enterprise isn’t a bedtime story. It sounds like a storyline out straight of a science fiction movie: A long, long time ago in a primordial soup far, far away, two separate entities fused in a symbiotic partnership.

Half life crack life