Science & Breakthroughs

Some bacteria build internal 'power cables' to extend respiration beyond the cell membrane

All living cells need energy, and most generate it through respiration, a series of chemical reactions normally confined to the cell membrane. Because this machinery takes up space, a cell's energy-generating capacity has long been thought to depend on how much membrane it can build. Complex cells solve this problem using mitochondria packed with folded membranes, while some bacteria enlarge or reshape their own membranes. In each case, producing more energy requires changing the cell's internal