Development of productivity started in 1981

Chapter 168 Creating the First Small Lifeform

Wang Jiankun came to the county on the eighth day of the Lunar New Year. In addition to opening the waste recycling station, updating some experimental equipment and preparing some materials, he also planned to start biological research.

Before he gained super powers, he only produced inorganic substances and only decomposed and destroyed organic matter. He had never tried to use super powers to produce anything.

During the Chinese New Year, when he was using his super powers to precisely control the worms in his cavities, he thought about whether he could use super powers to create living organisms.

As early as 1665, British scholar Robert Hooke discovered the cell structure of cork. Then, with the advancement of glass manufacturing technology, lens manufacturing technology and optical technology, more and more cell types were discovered, from large plant cells to animal cells.

Later, more and more microbial structures were discovered, and many microorganisms were composed of single cells.

By the 20th century, biologists had observed bacteria as a life structure, and then produced a series of antibacterial drugs. They also began to use bacteria to manufacture some products needed by humans, such as MSG. Some anti-human researchers even began to study how to use bacteria to kill people.

In 1953, American scientists discovered the genetic material in living organisms and named it DNA, which is translated into Chinese as genes.

Genetic research is now being carried out simultaneously in many major countries in the world, and according to some information from unknown sources, some laboratories have even begun to study the hybridization of genes from different races, and at the same time study changing the genetic structure to change biological traits.

Wang Jiankun was not thinking about creating any bacterial or viral weapons. What he was thinking about was whether he could create human-like life with intelligence that could serve as experimental assistants later.

Now the world's cutting-edge research is moving towards cloning large organisms, and cyborgs or clones have appeared in some science fiction works, so Wang Jiankun came up with the idea of ​​creating humans.

However, the human body is too complex. Although the composition of the elements is not particularly large, the main ones are carbon, hydrogen, oxygen, calcium, sulfur, phosphorus, iron and some trace elements, but its arrangement and combination structures are too many, and are still in dynamic change. The related internal molecules are still interrelated. Wang Jiankun is not sure of a successful creation in one go.

So he planned to start his research with small organisms, preferably single-celled ones.

Originally, the structures of bacteria and viruses are simpler, and the types and quantities of elements inside them are very small. Wang Jiankun has the ability to produce them quickly, but he is afraid that due to mistakes he might create extremely harmful bacteria or viruses, thus endangering human survival, so he plans to start his research with single-celled organisms.

When the chapter on microorganisms comes in the high school textbook, Paramecium cannot be avoided. Wang Jiankun decided to start creating life by replicating a Paramecium.

Paramecium is a small cylindrical protozoan. The most common is the caudate Paramecium, which is only 180 to 280 microns long. Its life span is very short, about one day and one night. It is called Paramecium because its body shape looks like an inverted sole of a straw sandal from a flat angle. Generally, a microscope is needed to observe it carefully.

Although Wang Jiankun has superpowers and can use them to observe the elemental composition of his body without the help of any external objects, he still plans to build a regular biological laboratory so that he can use his superpowers to observe while also using his eyes to conduct macroscopic observations.

He did what he thought. He cleared a 30-square-meter area on the first floor of the underground base, sealed it, and then set up a laboratory with a variety of advanced scientific research instruments according to the appearance of the biological research institute he saw when he visited BJ.

Then he came outside the base, bringing a glass cup and a liquid collector for collecting samples. He observed as he walked, focusing on the small ditches and ponds.

Paramecium lives in fresh water and can be found in common ponds and small rivers. It was early spring and the temperature was very low, so Paramecium was difficult to find. After walking for several hundred meters, I finally found Paramecium in a small sunny ditch.

Wang Jiankun looked around and saw no one passing by, so he made a large wooden spoon and scooped a spoonful of light green water from the ditch where he found the Paramecium and brought it to the shore. Then he used a liquid sampler to take a sample. While taking the sample, he used his superpowers to observe and take as many parts as possible where the Paramecium was present.

After taking the sample, he decomposed the wooden spoon into gas, then took the sample and walked towards the underground base.

After arriving at the base, he followed the method of obtaining living biological specimens, took out the Paramecium inside and placed it in clean culture medium, and then disposed of other samples to prevent contamination of the laboratory.

The Paramecium obtained this time is a type called Giant Paramecium, which is the largest among the 22 known species of Paramecium, measuring more than 200 microns.

Wang Jiankun had used his superpowers to observe this single-celled organism, but had never seen it through a microscope, so he took out the microscope, carefully installed the eyepiece and objective lens, then rotated the objective lens converter to accurately position the objective lens, and then adjusted the brightness knob to make the field of view appear bright white.

After the preparations were ready, he absorbed a drop of culture fluid from the surface of the Paramecium culture fluid and gently placed it on the carrier slide.

He first observed with the naked eye and a magnifying glass and saw small white dots swimming in the culture fluid, which were Paramecium.

Then, he put the slide under a microscope and used it to observe the shape and movement of Paramecium. At first, the Paramecium moved too fast, so he put a few strands of cotton fiber in the culture solution on the slide and covered it with a coverslip.

Through the microscope, he saw Paramecium that looked like straw sandals. The numerous cilia on its surface membrane were like nimble little feet, constantly swaying, driving the Paramecium to rotate and move forward in the water.

The vision seen with the eyes and with superpowers are completely different. As he looked at this magical microscopic world, Wang Jiankun's eyes flashed with excitement and surprise, as if he had opened a door to a whole new world.

He observed with his eyes, then with his super powers, constantly switching his perspective, and also asked Tomoko to help record the movement of elements inside the Paramecium.

Although it is just a tiny single-celled organism, its internal and external structure is still very sophisticated and complex, no simpler than the chips and nuclear reactors he made.

Moreover, its internal structure is constantly changing. Wang Jiankun intends to create a living Paramecium, so he must clearly understand the operating rules of its internal structure.

So he proceeded to the next step, intending to reduce the vitality of the Paramecium and then restore it, and when its vitality was lowest, record the movement of elements inside and outside it.

He took some dry ice and placed it around the experimental table. He used his superpowers to get carbon elements to create a thin layer of graphene to block the air flow, allowing the temperature of the experimental table to gradually drop. He continued to observe the movement of the Paramecium while also recording the temperature displayed by the thermometer next to it.

After hundreds of observations, Wang Jiankun obtained the data he wanted. The activity of Paramecium dropped to the lowest at around 2 degrees Celsius. It was almost motionless in the culture medium, and the activity of various internal structures also dropped to the lowest. At the same time, after staying at this temperature for a few minutes, the Paramecium was able to slowly recover its activity after the temperature slowly rose, and it did not affect its division to produce new Paramecium.

After obtaining the data he wanted, Wang Jiankun prepared to start creating single-celled life forms such as Paramecium.

He took a clean culture dish and culture medium, poured the culture medium into the culture dish, then lowered the temperature of an experimental chamber to 2 degrees Celsius, placed the culture dish containing the culture medium into this low-temperature experimental chamber, and kept it for more than 10 minutes to allow the culture medium to also cool down to 2 degrees Celsius.

Then he focused his attention and, according to the three-dimensional image recorded by Zhizi, began to create this first life form from the inside out. The first thing he created was the independent functional structures inside the paramecium cell. These structures had independent and connected functions and were wrapped by a layer of membrane.

He quickly produced the cell nucleus, contractile vesicle and collecting tube membrane at the same time, and then quickly filled the interior of these three structures. After the small structures were completed, he mobilized the elements to quickly produce the cell membrane to wrap the three small structures inside, and then filled the cell membrane. The cytoplasm inside was mainly water, protein amino acids and other small molecules, which he also produced very quickly.

Then he quickly produced cilia on the surface and opened the oral groove and anus in the cell membrane. These two structures are the mouth and butt of Paramecium respectively.

After these main structures were manufactured, Wang Jiankun quickly made subtle adjustments, because the connection between these small structures could not be seen under a microscope. Under the influence of super powers, these internal structures are the skeletons of cells, and they are all related to each other.

By completely replicating the Paramecium he had just observed, Wang Jiankun created a Paramecium that he didn't know whether it could be activated.

Life is very magical. It is composed of the same elements, but its external forms are ever-changing. Some have the characteristics of life, while others have none at all. Therefore, Wang Jiankun was not sure whether the Paramecium he made could be activated. Although it was in a low-temperature dormant state at this moment, there was a phenomenon of element and substance transfer between the internal structure of the Paramecium.

He did not dare to delay and began to heat up the experimental chamber according to the previously recorded heating method. At the same time, he was using his superpowers to closely observe the paramecium he had created.

As the temperature gradually rose, the outer cilia of the created Paramecium began to swing slowly, and the changes in elements between its internal structures were also accelerating. When the temperature rose to about 20 degrees Celsius, the Paramecium should have come alive because it was already absorbing organic matter in the culture medium, which meant that Wang Jiankun had successfully created a life.

He may not know what this means. He is changing the way life is created, which is comparable to Nuwa in the myth.

When the temperature of the experimental chamber returned to room temperature, he carefully placed the little life he created onto the slide under the microscope and began to observe it with his eyes.

Under the microscope, this Paramecium is very active. Its mouth constantly absorbs organic matter from the surrounding area, and then forms food bubbles in its body. These food bubbles flow along a fixed path, fuse with lysosomes and are digested, while the indigestible residues are excreted from the anus at the back of the body.

Next, Wang Jiankun continued to observe the Paramecium and compared it with the reference sample to see what the differences were. While eating, he left the microscope and used his superpowers to observe and compare while eating.

During this period, he observed the reproduction of Paramecium. Because this individually created Paramecium had no other similar ones, it swam for a long time, and then began to split and reproduce, from one to two. The reference sample found another Paramecium, and the two Paramecium reproduced sexually.

The division of the Paramecium that reproduced by fission was very simple. Wang Jiankun observed that the organelles inside its cells began to replicate identically under the control of genetic material and certain proteins. Two copies of the organelles appeared in the body, and then the Paramecium was cut crosswise from the center to form two new Paramecium.

However, the sexual reproduction of that specimen was very complicated, and it was able to produce 8 new individuals at a time, which he had not expected. Wang Jiankun asked Chieko to help record a large amount of data for future research.

Although it was just to create a tiny Paramecium life, Wang Jiankun spent a lot of time on it, mainly because he had awe for life but also lacked understanding of living things.

The Paramecium he created that reproduced by fission disappeared from the world and turned into two new ones. They lived well in the culture medium provided by Wang Jiankun. Some of their offspring reproduced sexually, and some reproduced asexually. More and more new individuals were produced, and their size and shape began to change. This is because during sexual reproduction, the genetic material underwent slight changes, so their external size and shape became different.

In the following days, Wang Jiankun conducted a series of research using the descendants of the Paramecium. He planned to gain a good understanding of the single-cell structure because in the future, when creating large life forms, the quality of the cell structure would almost determine the success rate of the manufacturing.

Single-celled organisms such as Paramecium can perform avoidance and escape reactions under external stimulation. If you touch the front end of Paramecium with a tiny needle, it will swim backwards, turn around, and then swim away. This is an avoidance reaction. If you touch the back end of Paramecium with a tiny needle, it will speed up and swim forward. This is an escape reaction. These two reactions are not much different from the reactions of multicellular organisms when they encounter danger, so it is not wrong to say that life is made up of cells.

He then tested the Paramecium with light, heat, electricity, and magnetism to see how it responded to these external stimuli.

The results show that although there are no specialized light, heat, electricity, and magnetism receptors in the cells of Paramecium, it is able to sense these stimuli and respond.

Wang Jiankun spent a lot of time on this and gradually understood the principle of this reaction.

It turns out that the cells of Paramecium are composed of different liquid crystal structures. Although they are divided into nucleus, cytoplasm, polysaccharides, lipids and water in current biological and chemical classifications, they are not in a free state but in a liquid crystal state.

Liquid crystal materials are more sensitive to external influences. Environmental changes such as heat, magnetism, light, electricity, sound, radiation, stress, and chemical molecules will cause the properties of different liquid crystals to change.

In addition, liquid crystal substances have another characteristic, which is "anisotropy" - that is, the properties of the substance vary depending on the measurement direction. For example, there is an "anisotropic conductive glue". If its resistance is measured from the top and bottom, the resistance value is very small, which has the characteristics of a conductor; but if its resistance is measured from the left and right directions, the resistance value is very, very large, which has the characteristics of an insulator.

The liquid crystals inside the cells have properties in different directions, so this can explain why, although it is a simple cell, it can respond differently to different external stimuli.

Wang Jiankun thus thought that multicellular organisms and human beings seem to be composed of a large number of liquid crystal materials. Those functional cell clusters and functional groups may be sensitive to certain stimulus response equations because there are particularly many certain liquid crystal structures when the cells are formed.

It's like sometimes he closes his eyes, but he can still seem to "see" some blurry images. This may be because there are some photosensitive liquid crystal structures in the eyelid cells. These structures change when stimulated by light and then transmitted to the cells in the eyeball or to the nerve cells around it, so he can "see" some images.

Myths also talk about three eyes, with a structure between the eyebrows and eyes that can see special light. This may be a mutation. The cells there did not turn into skin and muscle structure, but mutated, generating many liquid crystal structures similar to eye cells inside, and they are in a liquid crystal state that can respond to special wavelengths of light.

At the same time, Wang Jiankun also used his super powers to thoroughly study the structure and movement of cells. Although most of the water inside is water, this water is also in a liquid crystal state, and in many different forms.

The various protein molecules inside can also be regarded as different motors, which convert the chemical energy provided by the hydrolysis of ATP molecules into mechanical energy to drive the movement of substances within the cell.

After five days of detailed research, Wang Jiankun can be said to be the person who has the most thorough understanding of the single-celled organism Paramecium, and through the study of cells, he is also ready to create multicellular organisms.

After the Lantern Festival, Wang Jiankun began to build a more complete biological research laboratory. At the same time, he often went out to look for organisms, preparing to start by replicating a small multicellular life.

After observing for a long time, he finally chose ants as the sample for creating multicellular life.

Because other flying creatures such as mosquitoes, flies, bees, etc. move too fast, which is not conducive to his subsequent observation, and underground creatures are not easy to observe with the naked eye, so small creatures such as ants, which are small in size and move slowly, are quite suitable.

(End of this chapter)