InfoAging on Mitochondria

While wandering the wilds of the world wide web, I noticed that InfoAging (a very useful online project funded by the American Federation for Aging Research) updated their section on mitochondria and age-related degeneration just a few months ago.

Mitochondria are the cells' energy converters. We need them to transform nutrients into the energy we need to live. Mitochondria also produce damaging oxidant - free radical molecules produced by the metabolism of oxygen - that can wreak havoc on cells and their DNA. As the source of these toxic products, mitochondria are also their first potential victims. Their proximity to the free radicals they produce, combined with their exceedingly intricate structure, make them particularly vulnerable to injury over time. Not surprisingly, researchers are seeking to understand this injury as a critical part of the aging process, and perhaps a cause of a host of age-related diseases.

Since InfoAging is an excellent resource for the layman who wants to know about current aging research and the conservative scientific consensus on aging, and since I've been talking about mitochondrial research of late, I thought I would point this out.