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Asked by paige101 to Ben, Dave, Ed, Sam, Susana on 19 Jun 2013.
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Ed Lowe answered on 19 Jun 2013:
Mitochondria are small self-contained structures (called organelles) inside other cells. They produce energy for the cell in the form of ATP and contain some of their own DNA.
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Sam Horrell answered on 19 Jun 2013:
Mitochondria aren’t actually cells, they are an organel (like an organ but for a cell) . The are essentially the power stations of our cells, they metabolise glucose and produce a molecule called ATP which is used to generate energy for all the biological processes in our bodies.
The really interesting thing about mitochondria is how they came to be in our cells. They originated from ancient bacteria (purple nonsulfur bacteria) that were engulfed by prokaryotic cells but weren’t destroyed in the process like would normally occur. Over billions of years they formed a symbiotic relationship with their host cells which we now take advantage of today.
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Susana Teixeira answered on 19 Jun 2013:
Like Ed said, they are one of the organelles you can find in the cell and are usually called the cell’s power plant but they also have many other important roles, including cell suicide!
It is thought that mitochondria may come from bacteria cells that associated with other types of cells and developed a sort of partnership (a symbiosis) . -
Benjamin Hall answered on 19 Jun 2013:
All the answers are pretty good here.
I’d just like to add that the symbiotic origin of mitochondria (and chloroplasts, which have similar origins) is one of the things that really captivated me and got me interested in biology when I was younger.
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David Briggs answered on 19 Jun 2013:
The are like little cells within cells that are responsible for making energy. They are passed down the maternal line ( that means your mitochondria are copies of your mum’s mitochondria, which are copies of her mum’s, which are copies of her mum’s….).
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