To understand the idea of three-parent babies, we have to talk about DNA. Most people are familiar with the double helix-style DNA which make up the 23 pairs of chromosomes that are found in the nucleus of every cell in our body. It provides the instructions for building an entire organism and the proteins that drive our existence from conception until death. However, the DNA in the nucleus is not the only kind of DNA required for us to exist. There is also DNA tucked away in little compartments called mitochondria, that are found inside all of the cells in your body.
Remember the mitochondria? Dig deep back to middle or high school biology class. It was that bean-shaped organelle often drawn with a squiggly line on it and called the powerhouse of the cell. Each cell in the body, including eggs and sperm, requires energy to carry out all of its functions. Cells without functional mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are like cars without gas.
Remember the mitochondria? Dig deep back to middle or high school biology class. It was that bean-shaped organelle often drawn with a squiggly line on it and called the powerhouse of the cell. Each cell in the body, including eggs and sperm, requires energy to carry out all of its functions. Cells without functional mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) are like cars without gas.
