Paradigm Shift

Stephen Drane

Eat.
Eat.
Eat.
Eating is energy.
Energy is life.
Must maintain life.
Eat.

Such was the way of the eukaryote - in the beginning,
When ‘multicellular’ was far in the future
And the world was young

A constant search for food
To fill the endless hunger for energy
Always searching, never satisfied
In a cell-eat-cell world

Eat and thrive
Thrive and divide
Propagate and dominate

Until one day - just one, just once
A eukaryotic cell had a different idea

Don’t eat.
Not this one.
It does not eat.
It breathes.
Energy not from eating, but from air.

Don’t eat.
Engulf, yes.
Destroy, no.
Hold and nurture.
Keep it safe.
Give it air.
It gives energy.
Energy is life.

And this new cell - just one, just once
This partnership of two
This new way
Thrived as no other cell has thrived
Dominating the earth
And the sea
And the sky
And thriving through eons of time 
To you.

For when we work together
We can do far more than we can apart.

The Science

A eukaryotic cell (such as those found in animals, plants and fungi) has multiple internal sections that organise and compartmentalise different activities within the cell. One of these specialised cellular structures (or ‘organelles’) is the mitochondria, which convert and store energy to power metabolic processes like tissue repair, muscle contraction, cell division and many others. It is believed all mitochondria on the planet are the result of a single ancient event when a eukaryotic cell engulfed an aerobic bacterium (ie a bacterium that uses oxygen to generate large quantities of energy) and harnessed its energy-generating powers for mutual benefit – the eukaryotic cell gained a source of energy, and the bacterium gained a safe home and a steady source of nutrients. This ‘endosymbiotic theory’, aka ‘symbiogenesis’, was first proposed in 1905 and became commonly accepted in the 1960s. Evidence for the theory includes the fact that mitochondria and bacteria (and the photosynthetic chloroplasts of plant cells) all contain porin transport proteins in their membranes, and that new mitochondria are formed exclusively by existing mitochondria splitting in two, in a similar way to bacteria. The symbiosis between the host cell and the mitochondrion gave such a competitive advantage to the single ancient cell that it outcompeted all other eukaryotes, and so every animal, plant and fungus now existing is thought to be a descendant of that one single cell (though millions of years of evolution).

The Poet

Stephen Drane (he/him) has always had a passion for science - in fiction, in the classroom and in conversation. He has been known to talk at length about interesting facts that have gotten trapped in his brain, but either he makes it engaging and interesting enough to hold the audience’s attention, or everyone he’s ever met has been very polite. Writing and wordsmithing are a hobby and a passion of his, as are handcrafts, choral singing and interactive fiction. And his birthday parties and his powers of oratory are legendary - in some circles.

Next poem: Relationship by Catherine Little