Mitochondria: The Dynamic Organelle

The term mihondrion is derived from Latin, with mitos meaning thread and chondrion meaning granules. Indeed, under the light microscope, mihondria often appear as rods or granules within the cytoplasm. For decades after initial visualization of mihondria by light microscopy, mihondrial function remained clouded. However, with the development of differential centri— gation and electron microscopy, it was discovered that a chief function of the mihondria was the generation of ATP for the rema...