104 Mitochondria
One of these researchers was Carl Benda, born in 1857 in southern Germany. Even as a
youth, Benda had been fascinated by the microscopic world and was one of the first to call
himself a microbiologist and to make a career out of studying the microscopic world. Benda
had been swept up in the excitement of the effort to peer inside a living cell.
By 1898 it was clear that the cell cytoplasm (the internal fluid part of a cell) was not a
simple, homogeneous fluid. Tiny structures floated in there doing no-one-knew-what.
During an experiment in 1898, Benda was able to make out hundreds of tiny bodies in
the cytoplasm through the membrane of a cell. Benda thought they must be tiny pillars that
helped hold the shape of the cell. So he named them mitochondria, from the Greek words
meaning “threads of cartilage.” Neither he nor other scientists at the time gave mitochondria
any significance other than that they existed and were part of the internal structure of a cell.
By 1910 scientists were better able to glimpse through cell walls and watch living cells
function. Many scientists suspected that mitochondria provided energy to the cell. By 1920,
scientists had determined that mitochondria were the power plants that supplied over 90
percent of all cell energy needs.
In 1963 it was discovered that mitochondria had their own DNA (called mDNA). This
was a shattering discovery and made mitochondria one of the most important parts of a living cell. It meant that we are really cooperating colonies of microscopic bugs. In some
far-distant past, tiny mitochondria organisms made a deal with bigger cells. They traded energy for protection. The mitochondria moved inside, but kept their separate DNA. That
made these tiny substructures unique among all elements of a living body and an important
subject for ongoing research.
But it all started with Benda’s discovery—even though he had no idea of the ultimate
importance of what he discovered.
Fun Facts: Mitochondria are called the “powerhouse of the cells,” where
all cell energy is produced. That includes the energy for you to blink your
eyes, for your heart to beat, or for you to perform amazing tasks like completing the annual race up the 1,576 steps of the Empire State Building.
The current record holder is Belinda Soszyn (Australia) in 1996, with a
time of 12 minutes, 19 seconds. Imagine how much energy her mitochondria had to produce!
More to Explore
Chance, Britton. Energy-linked Functions of Mitochondria. Washington, DC: Academic Press, 1994.
Daniell, Henry, ed. Molecular Biology and Biotechnology of Plant Organelles:
Chloroplasts and Mitochondria. New York: Springer-Verlag, 2005.
Levings, Charles. Molecular Biology of Plant Mitochondria. London: Kulwar Academic Publishers, 1995.
Osawa, Syozo. Evolution of the Genetic Code. New York: Oxford University Press,
1995.
Scheffler, Immo. Mitochondria. Dover, DE: Wiley-Liss, 1999.