Every cell possesses a subcellular structure called a mitochondrion that is used to generate energy. Mitochondria have their own mini-genome, with only thirty-seven genes, about one six-thousandth the number of genes on human chromosomes. (Some scientists propose that mitochondria originated from some ancient bacteria that invaded single-celled organisms. These bacteria formed a symbiotic alliance with the organism; they provided energy, but used the organism’s cellular environment for nutrition, metabolism, and self-defense. The genes lodged within mitochondria are left over from this ancient
...more
