While oxygen is essential for oxidative phosphorylation, O 2 can form reactive species (ROS) when interacting with electrons of mitochondrial electron transport system. ROS is dependent on O 2 pressure (PO 2 ) and has traditionally been assessed in O 2 saturated media, PO 2 at which mitochondria do not typically function in vivo. Mitochondrial ROS can be significantly elevated by the respiratory complex II substrate succinate,...

In the Carboniferous, insects evolved flight. Intense selection drove for high performance and approximately 100 million years later, Hymenoptera (bees, wasps and ants) emerged. Some species had proportionately small wings, with apparently impossible aerodynamic challenges including a need for high frequency flight muscles (FMs), powered exclusively off aerobic pathways and resulting in extreme aerobic capacities. Modern insec...