In Depth  In Depth  Mitochondria - Even Mightier Than We Thought
By Jenifer Lienau Thompson  You may think that you are just
sitting there reading, but right now your body is working pretty
hard. Your heart pumps blood throughout your body, your
diaphragm pulls air into your lungs, muscles in your back and
abdomen hold your body up. Within your organs and tissues, cells
cooperate to perform all these activities. Muscle cells expand
and contract so your eyes can scan the screen, nerve cells
transmit messages about these words to your brain, and brain
cells works together to decipher their meanings. It actually
takes a lot of energy to sit there and read - imagine how much
it takes to ride a bike, turn a cartwheel or run a marathon!
Where do you get all the energy you need? Just as your mom has
always told you, it begins with the food you eat. But a peanut
butter and jelly sandwich (PB&J) is not exactly cell food - at
least not yet. Your digestive system breaks the PB&J down into
its molecular ingredients: pr