Peter Mitchell (biochemist)

Peter Mitchell was a biochemist who revolutionized our understanding of how cells produce energy. He proposed the chemiosmotic theory, suggesting that cells generate energy through a process involving a flow of protons across the mitochondrial membrane, creating a gradient that drives the production of ATP—the cell's main energy currency. This groundbreaking idea explained how mitochondria, often called the cell's power plants, function efficiently. His work earned him the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1978, and it remains fundamental to biochemistry and medicine, influencing our understanding of metabolism and energy-related diseases.