The genes you don't get from your parents (but can't live without) - Devin Shuman episode artwork

EPISODE · Aug 15, 2026 · 7 MIN

The genes you don't get from your parents (but can't live without) - Devin Shuman

from TED-Ed · host TED-Ed

Dig into the essential role that mitochondrial DNA played in the evolution of living things on Earth, and find out why it’s still evolving.--Inside our cells, each of us has a second set of genes completely separate from our 23 pairs of chromosomes. And this isn’t just true for humans— it’s true of every animal, plant, and fungus on Earth. This second genome belongs to our mitochondria, an organelle inside our cells. So why are they so different from anything else in our bodies? Devin Shuman explores the purpose of mitochondrial DNA.Lesson by Devin Shuman, directed by Luísa M H Copetti, Hype CG.Support Our Non-Profit Mission----------------------------------------------Support us on Patreon: http://bit.ly/TEDEdPatreonCheck out our merch: http://bit.ly/TEDEDShop----------------------------------------------Connect With Us----------------------------------------------Sign up for our newsletter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdNewsletterFollow us on Facebook: http://bit.ly/TEDEdFacebookFind us on Twitter: http://bit.ly/TEDEdTwitterPeep us on Instagram: http://bit.ly/TEDEdInstagram----------------------------------------------Keep Learning----------------------------------------------View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-genes-you-don-t-get-from-your-parents-but-can-t-live-without-devin-shumanDig deeper with additional resources: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/the-genes-you-don-t-get-from-your-parents-but-can-t-live-without-devin-shuman#digdeeperAnimator's website: https://www.luisacopetti.com and https://www.hype.cg----------------------------------------------Thank you so much to our patrons for your support! Without you this video would not be possible! Cameron Chakraverty, Petr Vacek, Rhys Patterson, Dennis, Olivia Fu, Katrina Adams, Regina Post, Mary Collins, Kari Teffeau, clumsybunnie, Adam Leos, Cindy Lai, Liz, Rajath Durgada Manjunath, Dan Nguyen, Chin Beng Tan, Tom Boman, Karen Warner, Isorn Sookwanish, Iryna Panasiuk, Diane Gallin, Aaron Torres, Vasundhar, Eric Braun, Denka Wee, Sonja Worzewski, Amy, Michael Clement, Ghaith Tarawneh, Nathan Milford, Tomas Beckett, Alice Ice, Eric Berman, Kurt Paolo Sevillano, Ron Kakar, Jennifer Heald, Megulo Abebe, TAO7CADENCE, Olympia Buckingham, isolwi, Vedasheersh, Michael Chang, Waqar Sheikh, Irene Y., Kate Sem, VPpurplebelt, Ujjwal Dasu, Angel Alberici, Minh Quan Dinh and Sylvain. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

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The genes you don't get from your parents (but can't live without) - Devin Shuman

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