Over the years, the safety of many food additives, from food dyes to trans fats, has come into question. A scare over a food additive may linger in our minds long after researchers find that there's actually no cause for alarm.
In cell biology, a mitochondrion (plural mitochondria) is an organelle found in most eukaryotic cells. Mitochondria are sometimes described as cellular power plants, because their primary function is to convert organic materials into energy. Note: The above text is excerpted from the Wikipedia article Mitochondrion, which has been released under the GNU Free Documentation License.
In a eukaryote cell, which is a cell that has a nucleus, mitochondria are found within the cytoplasm. All cell activity occurs within the cytoplasm, including cell division. In eukaryote cells, the mitochondria and other organelles are separated from other structures within the cell by a nuclear membrane.