"Geothermal Hot Springs: Home to Ancient Mitochondrial Relatives and the Origins of Cellular Complexity"
Scientists have identified potential bacterial relatives of the ancient protomitochondria, the microbe that gave rise to mitochondria, the "powerhouses of cells." These bacteria, known as Iodidimonadales, were found in geothermal hot springs and possess genetic traits essential to protomitochondria, such as the ability to produce energy with or without oxygen and create certain fats. Understanding the evolution of mitochondria could provide insights into diseases related to mitochondrial dysfunction and shed light on the origins of complex life.