The Mighty Mitochondrion: How Big Is It Really?

Have you ever asked yourself, “How big is a cell in my body?” or “What’s inside those cells?” Today, we’re going to dive into a fascinating part of our cells called the mitochondrion. But first, let’s get a sense of the size of these incredible structures.

A Size Comparison

Think about a grain of salt. It’s tiny, right? Now, imagine something even smaller than that. That’s how small a mitochondrion is. In fact, it’s about 1,000 times smaller than a grain of salt. To give you an idea, if a grain of salt was the size of a basketball, a mitochondrion would be about the size of a pea.

• A grain of salt is about 1 millimeter long.
• A mitochondrion, on average, is about 1 micrometer long, which is one-thousandth of a millimeter.
• That means you could fit 1,000 mitochondria end-to-end in the space of a single grain of salt!

What Is a Mitochondrion?

Now that we’ve compared the size of a mitochondrion to everyday objects, let’s learn a bit more about what it is and what it does. A mitochondrion is a tiny part of almost every cell in your body. You can think of a cell like a bustling city, and the mitochondrion is like the power plant that keeps everything running smoothly. They’re often called the “powerhouse of the cell” because they produce something called adenosine triphosphate (ATP), which is a type of energy that cells use to do their jobs.

The Structure of a Mitochondrion

Inside these tiny powerhouses, there’s a lot going on. Mitochondria have a unique structure that sets them apart from other parts of the cell.

• They have a double membrane, which is like having two layers of skin. This helps them protect their delicate insides and control what goes in and out.
• Inside the double membrane, there are folded layers that increase the surface area, helping the mitochondrion produce more energy.

The History of the Mitochondrion

The mitochondrion was first discovered by a scientist named Albert von Kölliker in 1857. He found them while studying the muscles of insects. The name “mitochondrion” was given by Carl Benda in 1898. The term means “thread granule,” which describes the shape and look of these tiny powerhouses under a microscope.

Not All Cells Have Mitochondria

While most cells in your body and in other animals, plants, and fungi have mitochondria, not all do. For example, mature red blood cells in mammals don’t have mitochondria. Some tiny organisms have even transformed their mitochondria into other structures or lost them completely. In conclusion, the mitochondrion might be small in size, but it plays a massive role in keeping our cells — and us — alive and kicking. It’s a tiny powerhouse with a big job, working non-stop to provide the energy we need every second of every day.