EDITORIAL MITHOCONDRIAL FUNCTION

MITOCHONDRIAL FUNCTION THEME

BY BENJAMIN DANOIS

Mitochondria are membranebound cell organelles (singular mitochondrion) that generate most of the chemical energy needed to power the cell’s biochemical reactions. The chemical energy produced by the mitochondria is stored in a small molecule called adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Mitochondria contain their own small chromosomes.

However, despite the long-held knowledge of the role of mitochondria in energy production, researchers are now finding out just how complex their function can be across all the divisions of biology. This is why we are going to focus this issue on mitochondria’s roles in the Animal, Cell and Plant realms.

Here is a glimpse of what we have in store in this issue of the SEB magazine.

FEATURES

In the Animal section, in ‘Mitochondria: Insights from Organelle to Organism’ (page 18), Alex Evans finds o ut j ust h ow v ariable m itochondrial function can be, and what this means for animals in a rapidly changing world.

For the Cell section, in ‘Problems in the Powerhouse’ (page 22), Alex then focuses on the fact that, despite almost all eukaryotic organisms relying on mitochondria to generate energy, their ability to do so can be heavily affected b y environmental factors. He finds t hat p lenty o f research is therefore taking place from the cellular level upwards to investigate mitochondrial function.

To conclude the Features with the Plant section, Caroline Wood’s ‘Mighty Plant Mitochondria’ (page 28) article takes a look at recent highlights from the SEB journals that portray the diverse roles mitochondria can assume in plant cells.

OUTREACH, EDUCATION AND DIVERSITY

The OED team has been working hard and are keen to share with you all the latest from their department.

In ‘Citizen Science in a Nutshell’ (page 50), Ana Colombo and Rebecca Ellerington explain how technological advancement, its definition, application and impact, has been evolving and growing in the OED sphere.

Geoff Squire, the founder of the Living Field project, recently joined a working group of the SEB whose remit is to develop outreach, education and diversity. In ‘Origins of the Living Field’, he writes about his experience in the Living Field project, based at the James Hutton Institute, Dundee, UK (page 52).

And to conclude, given the sometimes large role that Wikipedia can play in our world, Ana and Rebecca want to underline what Wikipedia can teach us about diversity in science (page 56).

MEMBERS HIGHLIGHTS

This issue’s spotlight section features brilliant achievements realised by our members. We would like to congratulateWasim Iqbal, Dana Macgregor, Sónia Cruz, Chew Yin Hoon, Michael Günther & Tom Weihmann for their contribution to the field of biology.

To learn more about their work, have a look on page 10.

Please note, you can also get involved by writing a review or an opinion paper for one of your journals by visiting www.sebiology.org/journals.

DECOLONISING AND DIVERSIFYING BIOSCIENCES EDUCATION

We are excited to announce the first SEB OED Symposium, to be held in Cambridge, on the 19–20 December.

Organised by Katharine Hubbard (University of Hull), Catherine Mansfield ( imperial C ollege London), Tina Joshi (University of Plymouth) and Isaiah Ting (University of Surrey), this is an event that is not to be missed.

We invite you to read the brilliant invitation paper written by the session’s organisers to discover more about the Society’s first OED symposium (page 12).

SEB CENTENARY MEETING

We are particularly proud to announce that this upcoming SEB Annual Conference will mark the 100 years since the foundation of the Society in 1923!

To celebrate our Centenary, several initiatives will take place throughout the year, such as Careers and Coffee events, that you can discover by visiting our website. The Centenary Annual Conference will take place in the splendid city of Edinburgh from 5 to 8 July 2023.

A brilliant article written by Alex Evans will showcase everything you need to know about what is going to be the most ambitious event the Society has ever put on (page 14).

Do not forget to follow us (@sebiology) on Twitter using #SEBconference, on our Facebook page or on our Instagram account for the latest news.

Registration will open very shortly.