I agree I didn't phrase that right. It was a short cut.
There has been debate over whether mitochondria can be called alive since at least 1890. For many years the vast majority of mitochondrial biologists have avoided the binary alive/not alive classification because there is a spectrum of 'livingness' and we can draw the line anywhere we like.
Picking a different line position is not scientific, it is semantics. What do we mean by the term 'alive'?
The article presented a profound new way of viewing the living state of mitochondria that was going to transform the world. It said nothing new, and failed to make any reference to the long term debate.
But it was a nicely written interesting article and mitochondria are going to be hugely important therapeutic area in the future.
There has been debate over whether mitochondria can be called alive since at least 1890. For many years the vast majority of mitochondrial biologists have avoided the binary alive/not alive classification because there is a spectrum of 'livingness' and we can draw the line anywhere we like.
Picking a different line position is not scientific, it is semantics. What do we mean by the term 'alive'?
The article presented a profound new way of viewing the living state of mitochondria that was going to transform the world. It said nothing new, and failed to make any reference to the long term debate.
But it was a nicely written interesting article and mitochondria are going to be hugely important therapeutic area in the future.