It had been suggested in the late 19th century when similarities between mitochondria and bacteria were noted, but largely dismissed until it was revived and championed by Lynn Margulis in the 1960s and 1970s; Margulis was able to make use of new evidence that such organelles had their own DNA that was inherited independently from that in the cell's nucleus.
Ini tersugesti pada akhir abad ke-19 saat kemiripan antara mitokondria dan bakteria dicatat, namun banyak dihiraukan sampai ini dibangkitkan dan diperjuangkan oleh Lynn Margulis pada 1960an dan 1970an; Margulis dapat memakai pemakaian bukti baru bahwa organel-organel semacam itu memiliki DNA mereka sendiri yang diwariskan secara independen dari hal tersebut dalam nukleus sel.