Every second Quote by Nick Lane
““One mitochondrion contains tens of thousands of copies of each respiratory complex. A single cell contains hundreds or thousands of mitochondria. Your 40 trillion cells contain at least a quadrillion mitochondria, with a combined convoluted surface area of about 14,000 square metres; about four football fields. Their job is to pump protons, and together they pump more than 1021 of them – nearly as many as there are stars in the known universe – every second.””
About This Quote
Source Book: The Vital Question by Nick Lane, 2014
Mitochondria are abundant cellular power plants, collectively covering a massive area and moving an astronomical number of protons each second.
In simple terms: Mitochondria are tiny power plants that work together.
Key Takeaway
Appreciate cellular energy scale.
Themes
biology
energy
cellular function
Mood
awe
curiosity
Type
scientific
educational
When to use this quote
- medical research
- education
- energy policy
- environmental impact
Key Concepts
bioenergetics
scale
systems biology
Questions to Reflect On
- How does this scale affect our view of life?
- What implications does this have for disease?
A Different Perspective
Mitochondria numbers are estimates, not exact counts.
