SCIENTISTS have just stumbled upon a new part of the human cell.

The organelle - a structure inside a cell that carries out a specific purpose - has been dubbed a "snowman in a scarf" due to its compelling shape.

The University of Virginia scientists have called it a recycling center of sorts, and could be the key to understanding genetic conditions better.

The discovery was made as the crew took 3D photos of cells for filaments.

However, they noticed the snowman shape in multiple images.

The photos show two circles sitting on top of each other with a small, scarf-like piece in-between.

Scientists named it the hemifusome.

“We’re just beginning to understand how this new organelle fits into the bigger picture of cell health and disease,” said Seham Ebrahim, the UVA researcher

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