The Invisible Connection

Fluorescent microscopy is often used to reveal the form and function of a human cell’s organelles. One organelle, the mitochondrion, is unusual as it contains its own DNA. This means it can replicate independently when more energy is required by the cell. In contrast to chromosomal DNA, which originates from both parents, the mitochondrial DNA is derived only from the mother. This has enabled geneticists to trace all humans to a common ancestral mother. Therefore, despite our vast physical and cultural diversity, each person is related through an unbroken female line of mitochondrial inheritance. This amazing “invisible connection” binds us all together.