Duplicating a Power Plant Is No Easy Task

When we think about cell division, we usually focus on the chromosomes and how they separate into the daughter cells. Actually, many other organelles in the cytoplasm need to duplicate themselves, too. How do you duplicate a power plant -- a mitochondrion?

Consider that each mitochondrion (and there are many in most eukaryotic cells) has dozens of those spinning motors called ATP synthase in their membranes. Several other complex machines lead up to ATP production. These machines run constant...