Live Streaming: Great Adventure in the Wilderness

Regarding the origin of mitochondria, Bi Fang knew of a very interesting hypothesis.

Mitochondria used to be bacterial organelles in eukaryotic cells and have an endosymbiotic relationship with humans.

Simply put, a long, long time ago, mitochondria were independent organisms that, by chance, combined with humans and eventually became part of the human body.

To this day, they still maintain a certain degree of "independence."

Evidence of this is that mitochondria and the human genome are entirely different matters.

The mitochondrial genome is 16,569 in length, encoding 37 genes, mainly related to the respiratory chain.

The human nuclear genome is 3 billion in length, encoding 20-30 thousand genes, including all content.

There is no homology between the two sequences.

And the genomes of other tissues within the human body are all from the human nuclear genome.

Modern biological classification's gold standard is based on the genome rather than external characteristics, precisely because many past classification methods were prone to errors.

Some that look different are actually the same genus, while some that look very similar are actually far apart in classification.

For example, treeshrews, which look like mice, are actually close relatives of humans, while Tibetan Mastiffs and teacup dogs appear to be completely different species, the latter's reproductive organs are not even as large as the former's, yet there is no reproductive isolation.

However, endosymbiosis is not the same as parasitism, these are two different things.

Single-celled organisms need to absorb material and energy to survive.

Just like "big fish eat small fish, and small fish eat shrimps," large cells also consume small cells.

This process is called "phagocytosis."

Phagocytosis is closely related to the fluidity of the cell membrane, where the engulfed matter is enveloped by a layer of cell membrane and brought into the cell interior, where the cell performs a series of operations to break it down and use it, then expelling it from the cell, a process called exocytosis.

What if the swallowed entity is a small cell?

The small cell is ingested but not digested, and it ends up living symbiotically within the large cell, and this is endosymbiosis.

Some genes can be absorbed and integrated by the human body, but once integrated, they form a new system, no longer distinguishing between self and other, and obeying the expression and regulation of the entire system.

To isolate mitochondria now, they can no longer revert to the original bacteria and primal life forms.

This situation is actually quite common, as there are many such markers in the human genome.

Just like millions of years ago, viruses that invaded the human genome changed the patterns of gene activation and deactivation in human embryonic stem cells.

About 1.5 billion years ago, a large ancient prokaryote with phagocytic capabilities engulfed an aerobic, smaller, ancestral prokaryote.

Engulfing is fine, but safety is important; it wouldn't be good if the ingested organism counterattacked.

The ancestral prokaryote might have had a series of stress changes to protect itself.

For example, a large amount of invagination of the cell membrane formed an early endoplasmic reticulum system, thereby restricting the activity of the ingested bacteria.

The early endoplasmic reticulum system further specialized, encapsulating the cell's genetic material to form the nucleus.

The ancestral prokaryote became the ancestral eukaryote.

Some aerobic bacteria that were ingested not only went undigested but also gradually survived within the large, ancestral prokaryotic cell.

Perhaps the aerobic bacteria thought having a home was quite nice and squatted in the ancestral cell without leaving.

Being a living organism is fairly simple, why go through the trouble when you can just do whatever is comfortable?

And the ancestral cell could also accept this, like raising a pet, although it had to provide food and shelter, it could gain the energy and products from glycolysis of the aerobic bacteria, which wasn't a loss.

Thus, the two types of organisms formed a mutually dependent symbiosis, which was beneficial to both parties.

In this way, over the course of long-term evolution, the ingested organism transitioned from parasitism to symbiosis, ultimately resulting in mitochondria.

The evidence supporting this theory mainly comes from comparing mitochondria and true bacteria, finding many similarities between them.

Similar in size.

They reproduce by binary fission.

They have similar covalent, closed, circular DNA.

Ribosome size and structure are similar, with the same sedimentation coefficient.

Protein synthesis can be inhibited by antibiotics.

Additionally, the endosymbiotic theory can also explain why mitochondria have double membranes, but not exactly how most people think; both layers of membranes may come from bacteria.

However, this is just the most widely accepted academic hypothesis and is not conclusive.

Bi Fang cast aside his complicated thoughts.

Thinking more wouldn't be of any use, as eventually, they had to be utilized.

Using the enhancement ticket, the same process as before appeared in his mind. This time, the enhancement seemed more subtle compared to muscle control enhancement.

Not only did his entire body not feel hot, but it felt as if he had entered the cool autumn.

After everything was over, Bi Fang's mind was filled with additional information, and he suddenly understood the direct effect of the ticket.

It increased and optimized the energy supply efficiency of mitochondria, and could further enhance efficiency when the body was in crisis.

Simply put, it was like going berserk.

Similar to how adrenaline would be secreted in large quantities at critical moments, enhancing one's strength, speed, and reaction, mitochondria functioned in the same manner.

It was like getting a double dose of adrenaline, able to unleash even greater strength and energy.

As for whether there were extra effects, such as life extension, that was unknown.

Bi Fang himself was inclined to believe that such effects existed, after all, the System's enhancements were always powerful.

"Sigh."

Taking a deep breath, Bi Fang felt refreshed and energized, yet his eyelids also became heavy, feeling drowsy.

The sun hadn't even set yet, but Bi Fang still chose to go to bed and sleep.

In the evening, a staff member outside the tent called Bi Fang to come and eat.

Groggily, Bi Fang opened his eyes, still very sleepy from his interrupted sleep, but his growling stomach voiced its protests.

After a brief struggle, Bi Fang still chose to decline, indicating that he needed more rest.

If he had agreed, he couldn't just eat and return to sleep, that group of professors would definitely invite Bi Fang for a long talk, and it would be hours before he could return to bed.

Bi Fang had experienced this many times and felt deeply about it.

Not until the following afternoon did Bi Fang get up from bed.

Waking up feeling refreshed and energized, he washed up and happened to catch lunchtime. There was no happier moment than this.

After feeding some fodder to Alpha, Bi Fang set out for the dining hall.

Inside the white, spacious tent, simple square dining tables were neatly arranged, with people arriving in succession. They filled their plates at the stainless steel containers and then chose seats to sit down.

Bi Fang served himself double portions and chose a seat at one corner; although this was still not enough for him, a single plate couldn't hold any more food.

There was no need to trouble others to wash several plates, after all, it was free, and he could come back several times.

"Mr. Fang, how was your rest?"

Just as Bi Fang sat down, Vaziri also came with his plate to sit diagonally opposite him, scooping up chickpea paste and greeting him.

Vaziri had indeed planned to entertain Bi Fang well the day before, but the latter hadn't shown up.

Yet even though Bi Fang didn't come, nobody thought he was being insensitive to the context. Anyone who had trekked through the vast Sahara for more than two months would want to get a good sleep at the end.

It would be stupid to insist on getting someone up for socializing, especially when it was known that before crossing the Sahara, that person had drifted at sea for over a month, which was even more understandable.

"Very well, this is the most comfortable sleep I've had in these three months." Bi Fang gave a thumbs-up while forking a pigeon, skin, flesh, bones, and all, chewing it raw, his mouth salivating.

Having been hungry for twenty-four hours, consuming such a feast was utterly satisfying, like gulping down a large glass of ice water on a scorching summer day when thirsty, or like sipping on steaming lamb broth on a cold winter day.

Egypt is a typical Arab country, adhering to Islam, so it's almost impossible to find pork or related foods, and they also don't eat any animal organs or undercooked food, so sashimi and the like have no market in Egypt.

Drunkards would also suffer pain in Egypt, since the local beverages are alcohol-free and Egyptians prohibit drinking.

Despite many taboos, they cannot in the least affect the Egyptian passion for good food.

The local cuisine is strong in flavor, with chili, curry, black pepper, and more as staples of most dishes, and Egyptians love rich, smoky, and smooth foods.

In this regard, the tastes favor Bi Fang's palate.

Furthermore, the food here is quite abundant.

With academics and government workers among them, it's impossible for the food to be mediocre, with every kind of meat available.

Seeing Bi Fang gobbling down his food, Vaziri's smile grew even wider.

Almost everyone has an inner desire to recommend their favorite things to others and to receive praise afterwards, gaining a sense of validation.

At this moment, Vaziri's heart carried that light joy.

"Roasted pigeon is a dish that the groom must eat at our weddings. We stuff the pigeon's belly with rice and fava beans, and the baked pigeon comes out tender, juicy, and fragrant."

"There's another way to prepare it, with pigeon meat, onions, tomatoes, and rice cooked together in a clay pot."

Bi Fang gave a thumbs-up, swallowing a piece of pigeon wing along with the bones, and praised, "I must try this when I have time."

"Our kebabs here are also excellent and very popular. They're made from choice lamb meat brushed with seasonings of salt, pepper, olive oil, and more, then cut into small cubes and skewered on iron spikes. The roasted kebabs come out golden, shiny, incredibly aromatic, and very juicy. While eating, you can dip them in sauce."

Vaziri went off to the side and came back with a plate of grilled kebabs.

Bi Fang hadn't noticed such a thing over there earlier; it seemed to be a "special treatment" given by Vaziri.

For such formalities, Bi Fang has only one thing to say.

Bring on more!

Bi Fang did not hesitate to pick them up and gnaw away. The sheep meat was minced, seasoned with spices, then skewered and roasted, the resulting meat was fragrant and tantalizing.

After eating, he could also have a bowl of Molokhia.

A green, thick soup made from jute leaves, where the jute leaves are crushed and cooked together with lamb, chicken, or rabbit meat, butter, spring onions, and other ingredients. The cooked jute soup is somewhat sticky, but delicious in taste, can be flavored with garlic when eating, and paired with the kebabs, it's excellent for counteracting greasiness.

Then, under Vaziri's amazed gaze, Bi Fang wolfed down a serving meant for several people and let out a rather inelegant belch.

"I'd heard long ago that Egypt is the Land of Spices, and it truly lives up to its reputation!"

"Along the way, I saw many different kinds of spices, but unfortunately there weren't enough to collect."

"That's really too bad."

Vaziri couldn't hide his regret.

The Sahara wasn't completely barren, although most farmers and city dwellers around the world thought of it as an empty expanse, difficult to cultivate and unfit for habitation, not of much use to present-day humans.

But this vast land wasn't worthless to humans.

For thousands of years, this arid land had produced something extremely valuable: spices.

Spices had numerous uses: they could be eaten, smelled, and even used to embalm mummies.

Like cinnamon and star anise, they could not only be used in cooking but also to make sachets.

When it came to the history of using spices, when the Pharaohs of Egypt had started using spices, the nobility of Europe were still picking berries.

Observing Egyptian wall paintings revealed that the Pharaohs' daily routine probably consisted of: holding a jar of spices today, two jars tomorrow, and then showing off to those without the next day, clearly having the time of their lives.

Chemical ecologists believed that the high temperatures and dry climate were more advantageous than detrimental for the evolution of aromatic plants containing benzene-ring compounds.

The scent emitted from the leaves of many aromatic plants could possibly help them withstand heat, drought, and damage from herbivorous animals.

In the plants of arid climates, these fragrant and high-volatility chemical substances were more concentrated than in plants from other areas.

Combined with the body odor issues of the Egyptians, the desert, under human cultivation, had become the perfect growing ground for the most potent aromatic plants in the world.

So, along the way, Bi Fang had collected quite a few spice seeds, but since there were many types and only a small amount of each, he was reluctant to use them in cooking.

Now, at last, he had satisfied his craving.

After dinner, Vaziri and Bi Fang chatted away about the trip and also discussed the intentions for the subsequent excavation of the tomb before Vaziri left. Before leaving, he once again invited Bi Fang to the bonfire party that evening.

Bi Fang had intended to decline, but upon hearing from Vaziri that there would be a roasted whole sheep that evening, he couldn't refuse such generosity and reluctantly agreed.

The next day, a content Bi Fang chose to leave by catching a ride on a truck carrying fresh water.

As for Alpha, it was entrusted to another truck for transportation.

Before departing, Bi Fang gifted Vaziri a Flint Stone dagger he had crafted by hand, as a token of gratitude for the past two days' hospitality.

After spending two more days in Cairo, the capital of Egypt, Bi Fang bought a plane ticket and returned home, while Alpha, because it was being shipped specially, would only arrive a day later.

The moment he opened the door, Bi Fang could hear the pattering of paws on the floor.

Then, a few fluffy big dogs surged down the stairs like a white flood, all rushing towards Bi Fang.

Clearly, after three months apart, even with the daily feeding by the housekeeper, Fugui and Wangcai had not forgotten their old master.

Next, Bi Fang found himself engulfed in a sea of Tibetan Mastiffs, struggling to breathe and faced with wet, slippery tongues everywhere.

From all directions, even Bi Fang, the Wilderness Master, struggled to break free for several minutes before he felt the dogs' enthusiasm wane somewhat.

"That's enough," Bi Fang stretched out his hand and grabbed Goudan's snout, "Tomorrow I'll take you guys out to the club for some fun, and you can meet some new friends along the way."

With Alpha's oversized body, it was inconvenient to keep him at home.

So Bi Fang planned to house him at the club. Since it wasn't far, he could visit often, and he figured Alpha would prefer a more open space anyway.