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All episodes/Episode 4.3

Episode 4.3 · 23 min

Where Mitochondria Came From

The ancient partnership between an archaeon and a bacterium that gave rise to mitochondria, explored through living relatives, genomes, and competing models of the merger.

Watch this film on YouTube ↗

Visual credits

11 sources

Sources and credits for imagery used in this film, including material incorporated into explanatory animations.

  • Mitochondrial dynamics in a MEF cell

    Böhler P, Stuhldreier F, Anand R, Kondadi AK, Schlütermann D, Berleth N, Deitersen J, Wallot-Hieke N, Wu W, Frank M, Niemann H, Wesbuer E, Barbian A, Luyten T, Parys JB, Weidtkamp-Peters S, Borchardt A, Reichert AS, Peña-Blanco A, García-Sáez AJ, Itskanov S, van der Bliek AM, Proksch P, Wesselborg S, Stork B. (2018). " The mycotoxin phomoxanthone A disturbs the form and function of the inner mitochondrial membrane ". Cell Death & Disease 9 (3): e286. DOI : 10.1038/s41419-018-0312-8 .

    View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0

  • Mitochondria, mammalian lung - TEM

    Louisa Howard

    View original source ↗Source licence: Public domain

    Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.

  • Journal.pbio.0050126.g001

    J. White and N. Moran, University of Arizona

    View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 2.5

  • Promethearchaeum syntrophicum SEM Cryo-EM

    Hiroyuki Imachi, Masaru K. Nobu,Nozomi Nakahara,Yuki Morono, Miyuki Ogawara, Yoshihiro Takaki, Yoshinori Takano, Katsuyuki Uematsu, Tetsuro Ikuta, Motoo Ito, Yohei Matsui, Masayuki Miyazaki, Kazuyoshi Murata, Yumi Saito, Sanae Sakai, Chihong Song, Eiji Tasumi, Yuko Yamanaka, Takashi Yamaguchi, Yoichi Kamagata, Hideyuki Tamaki, and Ken Takai

    View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

  • Promethearchaeum syntrophicum

    Hiroyuki Imachi, Masaru K. Nobu,Nozomi Nakahara,Yuki Morono, Miyuki Ogawara, Yoshihiro Takaki, Yoshinori Takano, Katsuyuki Uematsu, Tetsuro Ikuta, Motoo Ito, Yohei Matsui, Masayuki Miyazaki, Kazuyoshi Murata, Yumi Saito, Sanae Sakai, Chihong Song, Eiji Tasumi, Yuko Yamanaka, Takashi Yamaguchi, Yoichi Kamagata, Hideyuki Tamaki, and Ken Takai

    View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

  • Actin cytoskeleton in an Asgard archaeon — Figure 5a

    Thiago Rodrigues-Oliveira, Florian Wollweber, Rafael I. Ponce-Toledo, Jingwei Xu, Simon K.-M. R. Rittmann, Andreas Klingl, Martin Pilhofer and Christa Schleper

    View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0

    Panel a cropped from Figure 5; presented within an explanatory animation.

  • Schleper Lab Vienna - The growth and retraction of appendages in the Asgard archaeon Lokiar...

    Schleper Lab Vienna

    View original source ↗

  • Multicolor fluorescence image of living HeLa cells

    8x57is

    View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 4.0

  • Red blood cells (2)

    Scootdive ( talk · contribs )

    View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY-SA 3.0

    Incorporated into an explanatory animation; presentation may include cropping, labels and overlays.

  • Колония сувоек и инфузории туфельки

    Alexander Klepnev

    View original source ↗Source licence: CC BY 4.0

  • Scientific figure · source page 9

    Emmanuelle J. Javaux, Andrew H. Knoll, and Malcolm R. Walter

    View original source ↗

    Figure or page excerpt cropped from the source publication.

Research references

Selected sources from the episode’s research and scientific figures.

  1. article/PMC ↗
  2. article ↗
  3. bioRxiv 2025.02.26.640444v1 ↗
  4. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2026.03.041 ↗
  5. MitoCarta3.0 ↗
  6. Wikimedia Commons: *Promethearchaeum syntrophicum* SEM ↗
  7. Wikimedia Commons file: “Mitochondria, mammalian lung – TEM” ↗
  8. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06186-2 ↗
  9. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-08955-7 ↗
  10. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41708851/ ↗
  11. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10128-z ↗
  12. https://link.springer.com/article/10.1038/s44318-026-00719-x ↗
  13. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41579-026-01288-w ↗
  14. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4444528/ ↗
  15. https://www.uu.se/en/press/press-releases/2015/2015-05-06-researchers-discover-missing-link-in-the-evolution-of-complex-cells ↗
  16. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28077874/ ↗
  17. https://sites.utexas.edu/baker-lab/2017/01/11/introducing-asgard-i-new-superphylum-of-archaea-that-are-related-to-eukaryotes/ ↗
  18. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature21031 ↗
  19. https://www.nature.com/articles/32096 ↗
  20. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30936488/ ↗
  21. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-019-1916-6 ↗
  22. https://elifesciences.org/articles/81033 ↗
  23. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4210606/ ↗
  24. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-022-01733-y ↗
  25. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/9797402/ ↗
  26. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41564-020-0710-4 ↗
  27. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10639-9 ↗
  28. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7610411/ ↗
  29. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09808-z ↗
  30. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09960-6 ↗
  31. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2020.12.035 ↗
  32. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/bies.70115 ↗
  33. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-024-07677-6 ↗
  34. JAMSTEC English press release, 16 January 2020 ↗
  35. https://www.jamstec.go.jp/deepbiosphere/guide3/index.html ↗
  36. https://www.ebi.ac.uk/emdb/EMD-0809 ↗
  37. https://www.ebi.ac.uk/emdb/EMD-0852 ↗
  38. https://www.nature.com/articles/290457a0 ↗
  39. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-020-18068-6 ↗
  40. Broad Institute database ↗
  41. Lang et al. ↗
  42. Andersson et al. ↗
  43. Nierman et al. ↗
  44. https://www.nature.com/articles/nrg1271 ↗
  45. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10809612/ ↗
  46. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-biochem-060815-014352 ↗
  47. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9041937/ ↗
  48. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-07677-6 ↗
  49. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6152910/ ↗
  50. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3158185/ ↗
  51. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-22044-z ↗
  52. https://doi.org/10.1017/pab.2024.33 ↗
  53. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.precamres.2018.11.019 ↗
  54. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2024.0092 ↗
  55. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9564328/ ↗
  56. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-023-06170-w ↗
  57. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-018-0059-5 ↗
  58. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-020-1239-x ↗
  59. https://www.nature.com/articles/s41559-021-01638-2 ↗
  60. https://doi.org/10.1126/sciadv.adh0066 ↗
  61. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36858653/ ↗
  62. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2017.09.015 ↗
  63. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.03.053 ↗
  64. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6857552/ ↗
  65. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7071853/ ↗
  66. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3208401/ ↗
  67. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2817224/ ↗
  68. https://doi.org/10.1016/bs.ampbs.2024.02.001 ↗
  69. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9635303/ ↗
  70. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5418484/ ↗
  71. https://journals.plos.org/plosbiology/article?id=10.1371/journal.pbio.1002533 ↗
  72. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10523466/ ↗
  73. https://www.nature.com/articles/nature09486 ↗
  74. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1514974112 ↗
  75. https://elifesciences.org/articles/20437 ↗
  76. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9575660/ ↗
  77. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbabio.2025.149564 ↗
  78. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12990190/ ↗
  79. https://www.molevol.hhu.de/fileadmin/redaktion/Fakultaeten/Mathematisch-Naturwissenschaftliche_Fakultaet/Biologie/Institute/Molekulare_Evolution/Dokumente/Martin_BBA_2026.pdf ↗
  80. https://www.annualreviews.org/content/journals/10.1146/annurev-micro-090817-062213 ↗
  81. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2817223/ ↗
  82. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3064905/ ↗
  83. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC304116/ ↗
  84. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.adk1075 ↗
  85. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38603509/ ↗
  86. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC12176269/ ↗
  87. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6854002/ ↗
  88. Commons CC0 standalone diagram ↗
  89. CIL:50506 ↗
  90. Cell Image Library CIL:40505 ↗
  91. NIGMS Image and Video Gallery ↗
  92. “Red blood cells (2)” ↗
  93. live actin–mitochondrion clip ↗
  94. network image ↗
  95. mtDNA nucleoid images ↗
  96. “The Origins of Complex Life | Searching for the Asgards” ↗
  97. 2022 launch thread ↗
  98. live appendage video ↗
  99. Nerearchaeum cryo-ET thread ↗
  100. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mitochondrion_(standalone_version)-en.svg ↗
  101. https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Red_blood_cells_(2).jpg ↗
  102. DOI: 10.1016/j.precamres.2017.04.042 ↗

Music

  • Meditation From The Star Orion
    OctahedronMusic · Envato Elements
Footage and image usage

Credits and usage times retained from the published edition or its production credit record. Where present, times identify visual appearances, not documentary chapters. Source and licence corrections are listed in the visual credits above.

  • 8x57is - 16:22-16:32, Multicolor fluorescence image of living HeLa cells; 17:05-17:11, Multicolor fluorescence image of living HeLa cells
  • Alexander Klepnev - 18:54-18:59, Колония сувоек и инфузории туфельки
  • Böhler P, Stuhldreier F, Anand R, Kondadi AK, Schlütermann D, Berleth N, Deitersen J, Wallot-Hieke N, Wu W, Frank M, Niemann H, Wesbuer E, Barbian A, Luyten T, Parys JB, Weidtkamp-Peters S, Borchardt A, Reichert AS, Peña-Blanco A, García-Sáez AJ, Itskanov S, van der Bliek AM, Proksch P, Wesselborg S, Stork B. (2018). " The mycotoxin phomoxanthone A disturbs the form and function of the inner mitochondrial membrane ". Cell Death & Disease 9 (3): e286. DOI : 10.1038/s41419-018-0312-8 . - 0:00-0:07, Mitochondrial dynamics in a MEF cell; 11:24-11:33, Mitochondrial dynamics in a MEF cell; 16:32-16:36, Mitochondrial dynamics in a MEF cell
  • Emmanuelle J. Javaux, Andrew H. Knoll, and Malcolm R. Walter - 21:30-21:39, Figure 5: Shuiyousphaeridium macroreticulatum from the
  • Hiroyuki Imachi, Masaru K. Nobu,Nozomi Nakahara,Yuki Morono, Miyuki Ogawara, Yoshihiro Takaki, Yoshinori Takano, Katsuyuki Uematsu, Tetsuro Ikuta, Motoo Ito, Yohei Matsui, Masayuki Miyazaki, Kazuyoshi Murata, Yumi Saito, Sanae Sakai, Chihong Song, Eiji Tasumi, Yuko Yamanaka, Takashi Yamaguchi, Yoichi Kamagata, Hideyuki Tamaki, and Ken Takai - 7:45-7:53, Promethearchaeum syntrophicum SEM Cryo-EM; 7:53-7:58, Promethearchaeum syntrophicum
  • J. White and N. Moran, University of Arizona - 4:52-5:08, Journal.pbio.0050126.g001
  • Louisa Howard - 0:48-1:04, Mitochondria, mammalian lung - TEM; 10:51-10:59, Mitochondria, mammalian lung - TEM
  • Rodrigues-Oliveira et al. - 7:58-8:05, Figure 5a; 17:37-17:41, Figure 5a
  • Schleper Lab Vienna @Archaea_Vienna - 8:05-8:10, The growth and retraction of appendages in the Asgard; source: Original source ↗
  • Scootdive ( talk · contribs ) - 16:48-17:05, Red blood cells (2)
  • Custom animations and figures: From Cosmos to Civilization. Third-party material incorporated into animations is credited on the linked sources page.

How this film was made

Created and editorially directed by Anders Lunde using a custom production system developed over six months. AI assists research, drafting, programming, and visual production; I review and edit the material and make the final editorial decisions. Narration uses text-to-speech. Visuals combine custom-built scientific animations, AI-generated reconstructions, and credited scientific imagery.

Generated reconstructions illustrate scientific interpretations. They are distinct from photographs, specimens, and measured data.

More about the creator and production →