Life was nothing but green slime over a billion years ago, consisting of mats of bacteria. They didn’t do very much but were good at staying alive. Then, after a few million years, one of these decided it would be a good idea to live inside of another. These were called mitochondria. They provided energy to the host and in return were granted protection from the elements and various predators.

This Mitochronia exhibition pursues this theme, exploring the properties of these organelles as they evolve though time, their archaean ancestry and the role they have in contemporary therapeutic solutions. Mitochondria thrive on red and infra-red light. These are components inherent in sunlight and, as such, form an important element in metabolic health. It is only recently that this form of light has been recognised for its importance.