Meaning
What does Mitochondria is The Powerhouse of the Cell mean?
Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell is a popular online expression, used to describe the purpose of the organelle in cells.
Online, the phrase is used to reflect on the impractical nature of information, students in public education must memorize.
Mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell pic.twitter.com/1bGJ5VAB9r
— Dank Memes (@theMemesBot) November 16, 2019
Origin
What's the origin of Mitochondria is The Powerhouse of the Cell?
The expression “mitochondria is the powerhouse of the cell” comes from Philip Siekevitz, who coined it in his 1957 article Powerhouse of the Cell, published in Scientific American.
It first appeared as a meme on Tumblr, in a 2013 post, shared by apatheticghost.
Spread & Usage
How did Mitochondria is The Powerhouse of the Cell spread?
Starting in 2014, numerous posts, photos and memes would reference the expression sarcastically.
The original post by apatheticghost would also be spread as a copypasta, appearing in numerous reposts in later years.
The phrase would also be regularly featured in the videos of Chubbyemu where he describes and explains the details of medical emergencies.

External resources
- Biotechniques.com – Protecting the powerhouse of the cell
- Know Your Meme – “Mitochondria is the Powerhouse of the Cell”