Endosymbiosis

/ˌɛndoʊsɪmbaɪˈoʊsɪs/ noun

Definition

A mutually beneficial relationship where one organism lives inside the cells of another, like how mitochondria came to live inside our cells.

Etymology

From endo- (Greek 'within') + symbiosis (Greek sym 'together' + bios 'life'). Proposed by Lynn Margulis in the 1960s-70s, revolutionizing evolutionary biology.

Kelly Says

Your cells contain tiny power plants called mitochondria that were once free-living bacteria—they got swallowed by ancient cells and decided to stay, making complex life on Earth possible!

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