This article was taken from the November 2011 issue of Wired magazine. Be the first to read Wired's articles in print before they're posted online, and get your hands on loads of additional content by subscribing online.
Harvard University knows it's not easy for students to understand how mitochondria work. Every cell contains between one and 2,000 of these microscopic energy-producers, but their function is complex. So the university's Department of Molecular and Cellular Biology teamed up with animation company
Xvivo to produce a series called The Inner Life of the Cell. The results are oddly beautiful. This still shows a mitochondrion being "walked" along a microtubule track by a motor protein. "We wanted to get across a sense of awe and wonder," says Michael Astrachan, Xvivo creative director. He ignores 95 per cent of molecules to focus on those he wants to explain. But isn't that cheating? "I call it scientific poetry," he says.
This article was originally published by WIRED UK
