The discovery of a single-celled brown alga that lives in ponds has revealed a missing link in the evolution of life. Dr Peter Beech, of Deakin University's school of biological and chemical sciences, said mitochondria were vital in evolution, generating most of a cell's energy.
Cells are the structural units of most living organisms.
They may exist as independent units or they may form tissues as in all plants and animals. It is generally accepted that mitochondria evolved from a bacteria that merged with a cell about a billion years ago. But, until now, scientists have been unable to find evidence that shows mitochondria divide in the same way as bacteria. Then, Dr Beech, with colleagues from the University of Melbourne, discovered that the brown alga still used the bacterial system of mitochondrial division. The importance of mitochondria to plants, animals and fungi cannot be overestimated.