Endosymbiosis

 

The philosophical/existential implications of this video are downright *staggering*. Staggering, I say! 

For a very long time, humanity assumed that we were at bottom spiritual creatures, with a soul and so forth. But according to recent research, we are actually *created by mitochondria to enhance their survival*, the mitochondria being bacterial endosymbionts which still retain a certain amount of independence after billions of years of co-evolution with their hosts. 

Since these bacteria need oxygen to survive, they have "created" bodies with lungs which can process...oxygen. Richard Dawkins once said that we are machines programmed by our genes. But if the man above is right, we are programmed by *another organism entirely*. It even controls our psychology (i.e. our most basic states of mind) and perhaps even our ageing! 

AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAARGH...