Mitochondria is a special organelle that is present in most cells, it is the main site for cells to carry out aerobic respiration, provides the cells with the energy they need, it has its own genetic material and genetic system, and participates in processes such as cell differentiation, cell information transmission and apoptosis, and also has the ability to regulate cell growth and cell cycle.

The above definitions are all recorded in high school biology textbooks, and Fang Ziyu, who had blurred his vision back then, has not forgotten these important knowledge points, and his understanding of mitochondria is more than that.

During the long vacation at the end of the college entrance examination, Fang Ziyu read a sci-fi thriller called "The Eve of Parasitism", which tells the story that the mitochondria that parasitize the human body to provide energy have long been unwilling to parasitize people, so the mitochondria that awakened their consciousness found an opportunity to launch an offensive against humans.

This fantasy sparked Fang Ziyu's interest in mitochondria, and he often searched for posts about mitochondria in between game scores, and after browsing dozens or hundreds of popular science posts, he knew that the story in it was unlikely to happen, after all, although mitochondria retain their DNA, the mitochondrial genome containing only 37 genes is like a drop in the ocean compared to the huge human genome.

However, the selfishness of mitochondria has been proven.

When it comes to mitochondrial selfishness, we have to mention the theory of endosymbiosis and diseases caused by mitochondrial dysfunction.

The endosymbiosis theory believes that mitochondria originate from protomitochondria, and that this gram-negative bacterium that can carry out the tricarboxylic acid cycle and electron transport is engulfed by the host cell and forms a symbiotic relationship with the host cell, and the mitochondria can get more nutrients from the host, and the host uses the energy produced by the mitochondria, and this mutualistic relationship increases the competitiveness of the cell and adapts it to more living environments, so that in the long - probably billions of years - evolution process, the protomitochondria become mitochondria, Become a semi-autonomous organelle within the cell.

Researchers at the University of Virginia in the United States have provided much evidence for the theory of endosymbiosis, making it accepted as a mainstream view.

According to this view, mitochondria do have selfish reasons, and researchers at Vanderbilt University have found evidence that mitochondria are "selfish" after years of observation:

Cells are able to divide or produce organelles according to their needs, and in the process of rapidly destroying and replicating mitochondria, mtDNA (mitochondrial DNA) inevitably undergoes mutations, and high levels of mutant mtDNA will use cellular regulatory mechanisms to promote their own development, regardless of the health of the host cell and the human body.

Cells initiate a specific response to deal with mitochondrial dysfunction caused by mutant mtDNA, but this response mechanism allows the mutant mtDNA to spread and spread further, and the resulting mitochondrial dysfunction is associated with a variety of diseases, such as the familiar autism, dementia, epilepsy, chronic fatigue syndrome, and cancer.

To some extent, the fully anthropomorphic mitochondria in "The Eve of Parasitism" do have similarities with the mitochondria that exist in human cells.

Bailey Oldman says that Albert has made "new life" a semi-autonomous organelle like mitochondria, and the implications are chilling.

Thinking back to the unknown decay on Albert's body in the photo, it is even more inexplicably terrifying.

Fang Ziyu was secretly frightened, Ouyang Jie was indifferent, but Albert was elated, he waved his arm and said, "Artificial semi-autonomous organelles!" What a genius idea! Genetic Information Transfer, Independent and Complete Protein Synthesis System, Membrane Characterization...... Oh my God, I've been confined to my old thoughts all these years, and I've never thought of using microbes to enter the cellular level to modify the human body, it's so stupid, it's so stupid......"

"Bailey, I now believe that you can really predict the future, and only those who can see the future will have such a forward-looking vision! By cultivating bacteria with genetic scissors and making them organelles like mitochondria, you can modify the human body at the cellular level! That would be the metamorphosis of Homo sapiens! ”

Bailey shook his head: "It's not the metamorphosis of Homo sapiens, but the end of Homo sapiens." ”

Albert ignored Bailey's correction and continued to himself: "But I don't understand, you say I made the 'new life' a part of me? How is this done? We are unlikely to have the technology to implant organelles in a targeted manner to cells throughout the body, at least in five years. ”

"If you want to make changes at the cellular level, you have to start at the cellular level, and to do such experiments, you should start with the egg, mtDNA is maternally inherited, if you want to imitate the process of protomitochondria being engulfed, then I should let the 'new life' become a semi-autonomous organelle of an egg, and then cultivate IVF."

Hearing this, Ouyang Jie couldn't help but look sideways, he couldn't understand the so-called cell-level transformation, but he noticed Albert's tone when he talked about cultivating IVF for trials, and it was a natural tone.

"The DNA of semi-autonomous organelles is inherited by the mother, and the sex of the baby depends on the ** determinant gene, theoretically, cultivating male IVF for observation is indeed the safest and most reasonable way, of course, it is also the only way, as you said, to make the whole body cells have multiple organelles, only from the fertilized egg. And this kind of experiment is relatively safe and controllable, even if the baby becomes a monster with superpowers like written in science fiction, Caesaro can also activate the self-destruction device of the underground laboratory building. ”

Bailey nodded, then shook his head again.

"But the truth is, you did it, and as for how you did it, I don't know, and no one knows after ten years of the catastrophe, so there is this farce."

Ouyang Jie interjected: "What about the explosion attack?" Everett has nothing to do with this matter! ”

"He has nothing to do with Albert's research, but with Caesaro, and if it weren't for him, the amendment to microbiology and gene technology pharmaceuticals would not have passed so quickly. Of course, the main reason was to divert attention, since Albert did not attend the dinner, the bombing attack did not have to happen. Bailey was very honest, and there was a kind of disregard for life in his eyes that Fang Ziyu couldn't learn.

After a pause, Bailey continued, "Al, I have known for a long time that your research will go astray, and I have tried to stop it, but I have not been able to convince you. This time, I can't budge any more. ”

"What are you going to do? Kill me? Albert didn't seem to get rid of the excitement just now, and said with a smile, "Even if I die, this research will not stop." ”

"You're right, even without you, there are others, such as the underground laboratory building in Norman, there are quite a few people who could take your place and finish your unfinished business." Bailey nodded sincerely, his tone was flat but his eyes were cold, "Killing them all may make this research stall for a long time." ”