mitochondria

Mitochondria are tiny structures inside plant and animal cells that release energy from food, so the cell can do its work.

• They are often called the cell’s “powerhouses” because they make usable energy for activities like growth, movement, repair, and making new cell materials.
• Mitochondria take in food molecules (like glucose) and usually use oxygen to break them down in a controlled way. This process releases energy that the cell can use.
• Cells that need more energy usually have more mitochondria. For example, muscle cells (which work a lot) contain many mitochondria compared to cells that are less active.
• They are found in the cytoplasm, not in the nucleus, and they are present in both plant cells and animal cells.
• A helpful way to picture them: if the cell is like a city, mitochondria are like power stations that supply energy to keep everything running.

Without mitochondria, a cell would have the parts it needs, but it would struggle to get enough energy to carry out life processes smoothly.