An article published in the journal “Nature” describes a study that investigated a key moment in the evolution, when cells acquired mitochondria (image ©Wikigraphists of Atelier Graphique). Researchers Toni Gabaldón and Alexandros Pitis of the Centre for Genomic Regulation, an international institute for biomedical research based in Barcelona, ​​Spain, conducted a study whose conclusions suggest that the acquisition of mitochondria came late in the evolution of cells.