Some 10 billion years ago
The Universe
Approximately 5 billion years ago
The Earth
It took 1.5 billion years
for the single cell to be formed.
The cell from which we all developed.
Superb specimens though we are
we nonetheless retain vestiges of our rapid evolution.
For example, the liquid in which our cells bathe
is practically identical to the seawater from which we come from.
Our fingers used to be fish fins.
Our coccyx, a vestige of our monkey's tale.
Our brain, with three layers:
The first layer, the archicortex, inherited from the reptiles.
The second, the paleocortex, from the mammals.
And the third, the most important,
the neocortex,
which was formed very quickly in only the last 500 000 years.
But of course you already know that story.
If you would like to, we'll move backwards.
No! Come back here! At once!
I said backwards.
A little faster please.
Good, alright we'll start again.
Here it is, the primordial soup, the source of all life.
-Morning, I'm Enzyme, the cells' engineer.
-A gene here!
-Voilà! Two genes!
-There we are!
-Hold on!
-These genes are going to become chromosomes.
-Oh dear! That's not very strong!
-Ah, I have an idea! Ahahah!
-Let's see if this works.
-There!
-Eh! Not bad at all.
-Heheheh! Hihihi!
-Oh no! I can't believe it!
-Here we are!
These genes have become chromosomes.
Then become the nucleus of the cell.
Mitochondria, undoubtedly a form of ancient bacteria,
are surrounded by the cell which is forming.
A cell is created, but it must multiply
for life to be born.
There are 60 000 billion cells in the human body.
Everything in living nature, like in the body,
is composed of cells.
The skin and the bones.
The nerves and the muscles.
The heart and the brain.
Each one an independent living organism
which feeds and reproduces itself.
Size, 1/100th of a millimetre.
For it to be visible,
the human body would have to be 500 metres tall
and even then it would only be the size of a pinhead.
-Who'd like some salt?
-And minerals? Here are minerals...
-Also carbohydrates! Get some carbohydrates!!
Come closer! Who'd like some nice fat?
-Hello, let me take you to the cells.
-Hello!
-No way! Dust does not get through!
-Our cell is tired
-He's right.
-We need sugar urgently.
-And fat, water and protein.
-Eh! Do you understand? It's clear, no!!
-What did you learn in circulation school?
-Instead of being useful, he's playing around!
He can choose his cell anyway!
-Move along!
-No respect for us workers...
-White blood cell police... who do they think they are!
-Here are our friends.
-Anything to report lieutenant?
-Nothing, captain.
-Here are the haemoglobin
bringing us some oxygen.
-Good, we need some.
-I prefer doing that than carrying away the carbon dioxide.
-Come, come on!
-Hemo, wait I have an idea.
-What are they up to?
-Look Hemo, why don't we go inside and see how a cell is made.
-How Globule? there is no window,
and we are too big to enter.
-Oh but we haemoglobin are cells too you know.
-We? cells? Is that true Master Globule?
-Yes, but we have lost our nucleus
and we can't reproduce like the other cells.
-Another load of carbon dioxide.
-We are going to visit the cell.
-Finally, the carbon dioxide. I hate it!
-We are now in the membrane which protects our cells.
-It is composed of proteins, fat and sugar.
-What's happening here? What is it?
-The ribosomes, our protein assembly lines.
-We have thousands and thousands of them.
-The mitochondria, our energy producing centres.
They produce it by burning all the food which is brought here.
All the organism's respiration is done here.
The centriole,
The command post which controls the unity and division of the cell.
-That ribbon is an ARN messenger.
It carries all the order from the control centre to the assembly line.
And the control centre is there!
-Look at our wonderful, storage centres.
-Our destination at last, one of our lysosomes.
It is here that your transformation will happen.
A new life awaits you.
-Oh this is nice! They are cute!
-Soon you'll be just like them.
-Hey!
-Sunday driver!
-You're not paying attention!!
-Idiots!!!
-Traffic jam!
-What's happening with the the delivery service?
-Answer me!!
-Nothing we can do boss. We've tried everything.
-Why don't you speed things up at the exits?
-The assembly lines are saturated.
They asked us to slow down the deliveries.
-It can't carry on like this. Send all the surplus to the fats.
Allez! Get rid of it
-Will someone connect me to the Maestro please!
I need to speak to the Maestro urgently.
-He's quite busy...
-But I have to speak to him.
But I have to speak to him... Ouh,ouh...
-But, but, what's going on??
Ah!! Bon voilà!!
What is it? I'm listening.
-Maestro, he says they are swamped with food.
He can only stock fats.
-Something's got to be done.
And the other factories?
-The situation is the same everywhere, Maestro.
-We'll have to do what is necessary.
Tell me supervisor, are you asleep?
You're letting everyone in.
Don't you know our factories are overflowing?
Of course you don't know!! It's for me to know!!
I'm the boss after all.
Listen! From now on block all imports.
Nothing more comes in. Understand!!
Send me a neuron messenger.
Transmit this to the brain.
If they want to keep making fat, that's their problem.
It is their responsibility!
They can't complain they haven't been warned.
-No one else today, sorry!
-Please, you need me inside.
The coast is clear.
-Captain!
Look down there!
The virus is getting into the cell.
-Put me through to sector 4000.
Put me through to lieutenant Jumbo Junior.
-Yes captain! We've already spotted them.
It won't be a problem.
Let's go!
Forward!
-Look! Look!!
How is it going today?
Ok!
We need a bit of sugar,
of oxygen, water and amino acids.
And above all, proteins.
Proteins make up half our body substance.
Why is there so much fat, that's strange!!
A pinch of salt.
All we have to do now is hand over to the membrane supervisor
and remind him he must not forget....
-Sector 4000! To all the cells of sector 4000
Programme the collagen. Send it when done. Over and out.
-Hey you at general headquarters,
Can't it wait?
I'd like to meet our own needs first.
-General organism order!
The skin has been injured, do not argue!!
You know the export orders are priorities.
-Well well well! Cancel everything and start again.
Chromossome room!
Very urgent collagen order!
Send an ARN messenger with the production plans
to the assembly line.
Do it!!
-Eh you! Get to work!
-What's happening?
Wait!
Stop! Stop!
Crétins!!
Ohhhh!!
No it can't be!!
I told you to send a messenger. And you send the original!
The DNA... The base of our genetic code
Without it, how are we going to reproduce?
-Bunch of idiots! Explain to me, how could you have done this?
Grrrr!!
We all die, but this is our relay baton for eternity.
Quick, make me a duplication.
A messenger.
Bunch of imbeciles!!
Come on!
And all that happens, inside one of our cells.
In one of our 60 000 million cells.
-The order is ready.
Deliver!
The cell. Size, 1/100th of a millimetre.
Every day, 500 million of them disappear,
to be replaced by...
50 million more
every second.
Subs by Jorge Goncalves