Stories by Martin Picard

Martin Picard is an associate professor of behavioral medicine in Columbia University’s departments of psychiatry and neurology. He directs the school's Mitochondrial Psycho-Biology Group, and he holds a chair in energy and health at the Robert N. Butler Columbia Aging Center.

Illustration of how mitochondria signal others in a maze-like organelle with people walking in it

BiologyMay 20, 2025

Mitochondria Are More Than Powerhouses—They’re the Motherboard of the Cell

When these energy-giving organelles thrive, so do we

Martin Picard

Illustration of a mitochondrion with circular strands of DNA

DNAJanuary 3, 2025

Jumping ‘Numts’ from Mitochondria Can Be Fast and Deadly

Bits of DNA from mitochondria can skip surprisingly fast into our genome and may reduce lifespan

Martin Picard