WAY More than a Powerhouse: The Incredible Roles Mitochondria Play

We all know Mitochondria are the powerhouse of the cell.
But is that ALL they do?
This video provides a really broad introduction to the incredibly mutlifacted roles mitochondria play in everyday cell life. A review video like this will gloss over lots of important details though. Corrections, clarifications and sources are here: bit.ly/clockworkep5
Fact checking for this episode was generously donated by the BRILLIANT @Astroboi on discord
(check out his lecture channel here: bit.ly/astrolecture)
Sources are cited in this ever-growing twitter thread: (wait, I need to publish first)
This channel is created with the support of all our patrons on Patreon: / clockworkshow
Support the channel directly with a one time donation: www.paypal.me/clockworkshow
This channel is dedicated to sparking your curiosity about biochemistry, not to being a definitive resource. To help you continue you biochem journey, I'm really excited to partner with Biocord , a Discord server dedicated to bringing together biologists from around the globe! Join the conversation with thousands of life sciences professionals and enthusiasts here:- / discord
All music is by Jeremy Blake( / redmeansrecording , released on the KZbin Audio Library.
Intro music: Let's Go Home (bit.ly/rmrlgh)
Outro music: Lost and Found (bit.ly/rmrlnf)
The style of this video was largely developed based on tutorials by Ben Marriot: (bit.ly/posterizethis)

[@PowerhouseCell]

Citric Acid Cycle gang ✊ This was amazing! This was probably the best mitochondrion video I've ever seen- your videos just keep getting better!

[@Clockworkbio]

Woah--Citric Acid? Really? This is valuable data. People keep blowing my mind with the labels they use. Thanks so much due--can't wait for your next one!

[@russellmitchell9438]

Commenting on a 3yr old video here, but... I definitely prefer the more in-depth and detailed style of videos over the fast and loose ones... can get that anywhere. The detailed treatment of the clockwork mechanisms are what I'm here for and would like to see more of.

[@thorr18BEM]

Quality > quantity

[@twerktospec]

Blah blah blah 💤💤 🎶cry me a river🎶

[@anshitsingh1979]

Mitochondria are the Trojan Horses of the cell!

[@Clockworkbio]

shhhh you're going to give too much away too soon. The people aren't ready.

[@Gelatinocyte2]

Mitochondria are the workhorses of the cell?

[@nirmalbabu9570]

but the good kind XD

[@Blahajlover3079]

"Are the power-house of the cell!" We all say in unison.

[@torak456]

@4:43 “At a macro level, you already know the two methods we have for getting rid of waste products in your body”. I’m going to go with exhaling, to expel waste CO2, and expectorating, to get rid of mucous and such. They both have ‘ex’ right there in the name!

[@pimbel8830]

I wanted to leave dumb comment about two other kinds of waste but it was too dumb

[@elcherry]

Fun fact: if you mix the voice of Sheldon Copper with John Green's, you get the narrator for this video.

[@Clockworkbio]

Oh my gosh this comment cracked the code and now I can't get those two voices out of my head.

[@graemelaubach3106]

I would love to watch hour long explanations of specific biochemical pathways with this beautiful animation. You're killin it.

[@MikuMikuCheetah]

I’ve watched about 6 of your videos and omg I want more! I want specifics and more processes! I almost failed biology in high school cause it was taught badly but this channel has opened an entire world for me about how cool bio chem is! I’m so fascinated! And as a visual learner, the moving diagrams work wonders!

[@Th3OneWhoWaits]

He said in other videos and community post that season two is coming soon!

[@fightocondria]

Seriously, it took the algorithm 4 years for me to find you?

[@MarmaladeINFP]

There is another topic related to mitochondrial functioning and cellular health. You could consider doing a video or series of videos on the role of sunlight, melanin, molecular oxygen, molecular hydrogen, electrons, redox potential, deuterium, metabolic water, exclusion zone water, and DHA. These are sometimes discussed in terms of quantum biology, as quantum physics is involved (entanglement, tunneling, etc). But that can be ignored so as to offer a simpler mechanistic explanation without needing to the larger complexity of the body as a dynamic system of energy, light, and information. The relevant point being not only that, as explained in this video, that the mitochondria do a lot of things but also that many things affect the mitochondria. Impressively, mitochondria play a pivotal role interconnecting so many factors, processes, and systems.

[@mishoidenis]

A little mention about mitochondria's role in apoptosis and this would be the perfect introductory video on the subject! Big thumbs up!

[@RBmusic2000]

Good work with your channel. I like long videos, but having a quicker version to introduce us to the basics of the content helps simplify the information. The topics can be jammed stuffed with information, so having two versions of the same video helps people who are slow learners, or learning these topics for the first time break it all down

[@Th3OneWhoWaits]

Very insightful. I actually went back to the source papers and made a map of most of the functions. It spanned over a page lol.

[@facultyofbioengineeringand45]

Nice video! Though at 2:53 you have a little typo: adenine is depicted as pyrimidine, while cytosine as purine. Oh, and standard color coding for atom types is gone at the heme part.

[@Clockworkbio]

Yea that's a really embarrassing gap in my fact checking process. I have no idea how I reversed that during animation when had it noted right in the script. Adding in a correction for a future blog post and I'll keep trying to figure out a more robust fact-checking process. Thank you so much for pointing this out!

[@franciscobohm1699]

Hey I REALLY hope you can keep these videos up, Ive seen a couple of them and I really like your style. Thanks for doing this!!!

[@Clockworkbio]

Hey that means a lot! I'm working real hard to figure out a balance between putting these out quickly and doing them well. Every video I try something new and try to get better. I've got 12 more scripts in the pipe--and I'm starting to reach out to researchers to come on a podcast style show where we tackle these topics with even more depth. We'll keep growing this for sure!

[@franciscobohm1699]

@@Clockworkbio TBH the quality and frecuency of your videos kinda worries me a little, it must be a very hard work and i just hope you dont burn out too quick specially if it's only yourself doing it

[@narrativeless404]

5:33 That thing even looks like what's it's gonna come out of

[@tyapca7]

Very nice! A big thank you! Keep on, please. Thumbs up!

[@SayanurRahaman]

This video is amazing. It is great that you guys are doing sci-comm videos on somewhat advanced topics. Hold tight, I see a very nice future for this channel

[@mrsmlthomas99]

Your videos are incredible, well done

[@Wutata]

This channel will blow up soon. The quality is through the roof and extremely interesting! Subscribed.

[@Th3OneWhoWaits]

Topics from this video that could be part of season 2: - Heme synthesis - Hydrogen Sulfide degradation - Fatty Acid breakdown - Urea Cycle

[@MrCore2Man]

Awesome videos, mate!

[@andrewfedorowicz4965]

Your videos are fantastic. For future videos, I might suggest how insulin resistance affects cellular metabolism, how antibiotics work on a cellular level, and the chemical process of cholesterol production. (If it’s too “medical biology” for your channel, I get it, but I think those topics would work nicely with your biochemical process descriptions/explanations.)

[@newphonebrasil8664]

Awesome! Keep up the good work!

[@satiremuch2643]

Very interesting, well done and thank you.

[@colorizedenhanced-silentmo6247]

Hi, This Glorious Clockwork. it's a surprisingly enjoyable video. thanks. :)

[@Me-ld8bt]

This channel requires more subs.

[@Clockworkbio]

Subs basically doubled in the last week. We’re on the right track!

[@bioZone101]

great video

[@MostlyPennyCat]

ATP Synthase is cool though, an electric proton conducting motor that either charges a proton pool or a chemical pool depending on which way round it's turning.

[@popescucristian8978]

weight loss the mitochondria is the only organelle capable of beta oxidizing fatty acids thus it enables the human body ( or any other animal body ) to generate energy from its adipose tissue

[@pelegshalev7359]

please come back!

[@Sphaerocarpaceae]

Algorithm brought me here and I’m glad it did.

[@Redrum420CF]

Hi Jessie gender asked during her livestream for us to subscribe but I also liked the video. I’m subscribed to a bunch of other science KZbin channels like sci show, smarter everyday, vsauce and sci guys.

[@DJR000]

The channel is too good to not be famous. But he stopped uploading

[@Gelatinocyte2]

I've read one of his recent comments in another video that he's been working on a big project for all these years now.

[@eaudesolero5631]

so how do the mitochondria and the ATP cycle relate to the concept of tiredness and exhaustion? how's it related to depression? diabetes? why is it that something like feeling dread at the concept of approaching a difficult challenging experience can drain all of your energy?

[@Gelatinocyte2]

I think most of these questions are best answered by Neurology. As for exhaustion: muscle activity demands a lot of ATP.

[@cobalius]

calling them procariotic nuggis is really something

[@JaneXemylixa]

1:54 Is this what became of the Mitochondria Republic flag from r/vexillology? :P

[@Clockworkbio]

It's actually exactly a minute later at 2:54. God I love this goofy crossover and I'm so happy the folks from r/vexillology are filtering in here. Really hope I can figure out a way to make people have feelings about chemicals the way Roman Mars makes people have feelings about flags.

[@JaneXemylixa]

@@Clockworkbio I subbed to your channel before I found that subreddit. Hope others may be experiencing it in the other direction :)

[@LuisAldamiz]

The first cells must have been all about membranes and proton gradients, right?

[@Gelatinocyte2]

Yup. Even to this day, prokaryotes specialize in membrane embedded metabolic pathways for the sake of proton gradients.

[@dond668]

Could mitochondria be responsible for all the chronic fatigue being experienced following the Covid lock down? How do we heal our sick mitochondria?

[@Youtuber69428]

My brother in Christ. How did you come to the assumption of sick mitochondria. A facebook page?

[@dond668]

@@KZbinr69428 are you implying that mitochondria is not affected by poor nutrition or complete lack of exercise?

[@Youtuber69428]

@@dond668 I misread, I thought you said COVID causes sick mitochondria, which isn't really a thing either.

[@thatpaulschofield]

Have heard the story of Darth Plagueis the Wise?

[@mh6276]

I still prefer the rough ER. It's my favorite organelle.

[@Gelatinocyte2]

Just a specific part of the ER, not the whole organelle?

[@farzanaalaman3655]

The [word that was said at the period of 0:09 to 0:11] is the POWERHOUSE OF THE CELL

[@pimbel8830]

This video isn't in any playlist :)

[@rayansattarkhan6807]

So like little Livers in the cells.

[@bluelagoony]

Power nuggets😅

[@josephbaker5810]

I enjoy your videos. However, when I look at biology I see deliberatenees rather than randomness even given billions of years of mutations...

[@PewDiePie777]

Mitochondria is you.

[@ExiledGypsy]

I think I have finally managed to become part of the majority that should make feel better but maybe I have been manipulated to join in by watching too many videos on KZbin trying not get caught in any echo chamber. But I keep getting outraged every time I watch a video like this, even though I might agree with the content because it is just not interesting. The fact that everyone talks about the energy production function of Mitochondria is not because no one knows about its other functions but because it is proving impossible to improve this specific function that is believed to be the cause of so many ailments and suffering. Anyone trying to do so will only find a bunch of inconclusive research papers or worse, a large crowd of snake oil salesmen. So, as Kubrick told Jack Nicholson when he turned up for the Shining having prepared by spending a long time researching; what you say might be right but just not interesting enough to listen to.

[@Gelatinocyte2]

Can I have some of that stuff you're on right now?

[@ExiledGypsy]

@@Gelatinocyte2 Just keep watching youtube, It is subliminal.

[@ryanhegseth8720]

…and people think it all just happened.