Chapter 155: Bottom Layer Interchange_1

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Jiang Yu became increasingly curious about the achievements of the biological team within the "Green Plan" project.

Upon asking Di Fengyi for details, the young man said, "You'll only understand the magnitude of this achievement when you see the experimental results yourself tomorrow."

Jiang Yu then stopped probing. That evening, he rested well, and early the next day, he took a car to the office building of the "Green Plan" project team.

Qi Guanglu and others had been notified the day before and were waiting at the door early to greet Jiang Yu.

Three years had not brought significant changes to Qi Guanglu and his colleagues, but there seemed to be a solemnity in everyone's expressions, making the atmosphere feel heavy.

Only after entering the office building did Qi Guanglu introduce Jiang Yu to a researcher under thirty dressed in a white lab coat:

"This is Gu Zhize, the head of the biological group. The major discovery was made in his research subject," Qi said.

Gu Zhize politely shook hands with Jiang Yu, "Hello, Mr. Jiang. You were my idol when I was still in school, and I'm honored to serve you."

But Jiang Yu smiled, "It's not about serving me, but humanity.

"Let me see your findings!"

"Please, this way." Gu Zhize led Jiang Yu into the laboratory, then made some adjustments to a microscope, "Please have a look."

Jiang Yu saw what appeared to be a thin slice of flesh in a Petri dish under the microscope.

He looked into the microscope and saw a thin cell membrane structure of animal cells.

These animal cells seemed to be alive, slowly dividing and multiplying.

Jiang Yu glanced at Gu Zhize, not seeing any issue with these cells.

Gu Zhize asked Jiang Yu to step aside, then dropped a few drops of yellow liquid into the Petri dish.

After waiting for over half a minute, Gu Zhize invited Jiang Yu to take another look.

Jiang Yu did so and was immediately surprised to find plant cells had astonishingly appeared among the animal cells under the microscope!

Jiang Yu thought he was seeing things and looked again carefully. No mistake! Those really were plant cells!

The slow division of the animal cells continued, but the newly divided cells were plant cells now!

Plant and animal cell structures differ markedly. For one, their cytoplasms are different colors, and plant cells have cell walls!

Jiang Yu stared for a long time before he managed to collect himself and ask Gu Zhize, "How is this possible?"

Gu Zhize was somewhat excited, "We haven't found the mechanism behind this change yet. It is an accidental result from one of our experiments with animal cell genetics!

"This result has seemingly allowed the cells to complete a fundamental exchange, transforming the newly produced animal cells into plant cells.

"We speculate that we have inadvertently affected the fundamental laws of genetics!

"As for the culture liquid that caused this result, we've tested it repeatedly.

"We know the function of the components used in the culture liquid, but when combined in a certain ratio, they produced this unknown mechanism."

Jiang Yu was also shocked, "This is indeed a monumental discovery!"

Suddenly remembering his earlier conversation with Thirty-Six, Jiang Yu muttered, "He guessed right after all, the genes even retain data from before the differentiation of plants and animals!"

Gu Zhize didn't quite understand, "What?"

Jiang Yu snapped back to reality, "Nothing. Is it possible to reverse the process and turn plant cells into animal cells?"

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Gu Zhize shook his head, "Our achievement was highly accidental, just like in ancient times when alchemists unintentionally created gunpowder while trying to concoct elixirs!"

"Asking them to clarify the chemical reactions of gunpowder would have been pure folly, but it didn't stop them from using the formula to produce more gunpowder!"

Jiang Yu asked, "Why did this situation occur?"

In Jiang Yu's conception, didn't science always start with theory and then proceed to technology?

"Because in the experiment just now, some changes occurred that we had absolutely no concept of, resulting in such experimental outcomes," explained Gu Zhize:

"The radioactivity of the culture medium is not very high, and components like sodium lactate, compound sodium chloride, and minerals are all quite normal. With our current level of technology, it looks like an ordinary culture medium!

"But there must be an underlying mechanism that caused a massive mutation in the animal cells' genes!

"Unfortunately, with our current methods, we do not know where this huge change came from?"

Jiang Yu couldn't help but reach out for a cigarette, only to remember he was in a laboratory and withdrew his hand, "Since it's a matter of chance, why hasn't anyone produced it before?"

Gu Zhize replied, "Your 'Moon City' project not only sends objects to the Moon but has also brought back several hundred kilograms of soil, dust, and other materials from the Moon.

"The experiment we were conducting was aimed at studying the microscopic effects of lunar soil on human cells, so I added some minerals and dust from the Moon to this batch of culture medium.

"This is a condition that previous people did not have."

Jiang Yu immediately asked, "Could it be that materials from the Moon caused such changes in the animal cells?"

"That is indeed the second point I was about to make," Gu Zhize said solemnly. "We have tested those substances from the Moon multiple times, and they are only slightly different from Earth substances, but their overall structure is highly similar.

"Moreover, we have repeatedly tried adding lunar materials to other culture medium formulas, and we have not observed the same results as in the just-completed experiment.

"Therefore, according to normal experimental logic, it is not the variable of lunar materials that is at play. But because of the particularity of this experiment, we are not making any definitive conclusions for the time being."

He paused and then continued, "It took us quite some time to wrap our minds around this concept.

"Let's return to the topic of gunpowder. Saltpeter, sulfur, and charcoal, when mixed in certain proportions, become gunpowder; this is a chemical reaction, a law that has existed for millions of years.

"The alchemists merely stumbled upon this reaction by chance! But they did not create the reaction!"

Jiang Yu understood Gu Zhize's meaning, "Empiricism!"

At a gathering of the Future History School, a scholar had reminded him to make skillful use of empiricism.

Although Jiang Yu took it to heart, it was almost forgotten because it contradicted contemporary scientific ideals.

He pondered and then asked, "Could this serve as a starting point for a breakthrough in genetics?"

At this moment, Qi Guanglu said, "That's precisely why we needed to wake you. This accidental discovery is too advanced, and we can only identify the internal mechanisms by repeating the experiment over and over. It's possible that this could lead to more discoveries and breakthroughs.

"But the current problem is, can humanity accept such a fundamental replacement?

"This could be a hundred times more intense than the upheaval when Copernicus proposed heliocentrism!"

Jiang Yu nodded, "That's true."

If people knew that a drop of this substance could transform a perfectly good hand into a bonsai, they would definitely not accept it.

Yet, this discovery was like a ray of dawn piercing through darkness, giving Jiang Yu hope of breaking through genetic restraints.

After a moment's thought, Jiang Yu had an idea, "I'll find you a quiet place to continue the current research."