Everyone says it’s the mitochondria, but my teacher with a degree says it’s the nucleus. Who do I believe?
In: Biology
The mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell – they are responsible for energy production. The nucleus is like the brain; it sends genetic information.
It probably a misunderstanding. The mitochrondia produce the power, but the nucleus controlls everything. Command Center vs Power Plant.
The word “powerhouse” can occassionally be used to mean “most important” or “most powerful” which would indeed be the nucleus, but that is not what is meant here. You teacher probably is just thinking of it that way.
> my teacher with a degree
Made me chuckle a bit, not sure why.
The mitochondria are organelles in the cell, they serve many functions like everything else. The most commonly known function is the completing of the energy extraction from bioenergetic molecules like glucose. There is still energy extraction outside the mitochondria, but Krebs cycle and the electron transport chain happen inside mitochondria, and those account for the majority of energy coming from things like glucose. The nucleus has no metabolic significance, the nucleus is a library, an archive of information. This library gives instructions for how to make proteins and other stuff. Some of these proteins are required for a mitochondrion to function, some other proteins are produced by mitochondrial DNA itself. Everything is interdependent, and everything is ultimately dependent on the nucleus.
So in essence, I on my third degree, say your teacher is wrong.
Could you tell us specifically what your teacher said?
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