Rosmana A.P | Science | Scientific Facts

Mitochondria is one of the cell's organelle that was found in the cell's protoplasm. This organelle has a function as an energy reactor for the cells activities. This organelle was found in any kind of cells, except in the Prokariotic cells.

Mitochondria is an unique organelle. That because this organelle shows a lot of similarities with the aerobic prokariotic cells. These similarities can be found at it's size, organelle's structure, and many more. Beside that, this organelle contains "Deoxiribonucleid Acid" (DNA) that rarely found in the cell's organelle except in the Nucleus that always contain DNA.

Many scientists believe, this organelle was a kind of "descendant" from the prehistoric aerobic prokariotic bacteries because this organelle has a lot of similarities with the aerobic prokariotic bacteries. Because of that, a theory about Mitochondria appeared. This hypothesis said that Mitochondria was an aerobic prokariotic cell that live mutually with an anaerobic eukariotic cell through "Endosymbiosis" when the first creature was born.

At the first time, this aerobic prokariotic cell was "gulped" by an anaerobic eukariotic cell. Then, because of something, this prokariotic cell can't be digested by the anaerobic eukariotic cell and become an endosymbion in the eukariotic cell's body. After a long time these cells become unseparateable due to their mutualism endosymbiosis. The anaerobic eukariotic cell become an aerobic eukariotic cell that can exploit oxygen from the earth atmosphere for it's food and the aerobic prokariotic cell become an organelle that called mitochondria.

The Mitochondria Hypothesis based on a research that show there're a lot of similarities between mitochondria and the aerobic prokariotic cells. This research even found some traces that show the transformation from the anaerobic eukariotic cells into the aerobic eukariotic cell due to the aerobic prokariotic cell that had "gulped" and become mitochondria. Some of the traces are the double membrane that covered the mitochondria, a kind of tunnel that look like reticulum endoplasm that has a same function to connect the inner part of cell with the outter part of the cell, and DNA that's contained.

Beside this organelle, there're many other organelle that shows the transformation like Endomembrane System and Reticulum Endoplasm which show the transformation of prokariotic cells into eukariotic cells, and Plastid that show the transformation of heterotroph eukariotic cell into autotroph (photosynthetic) eukariotic cell and etc.