Homo sapiens

Chapter 2 Memories
Silent night.

The wilderness of the small mountain village is extraordinarily quiet.

The sound of ticking raindrops, and the occasional north wind blowing through the mountains.

In the bedroom on the second floor, Li Qingye, who was half lying on the bed, closed his eyes and meditated beside the dim and bright yellow desk lamp.

The past is vivid.

Father……

Mother……

big brother...

Each figure, page after page of fragments, echoed one after another, filling his mind.

……

Near Jiangcheng University, Li Qingye opened a cosmetics company here with more than 2000 million sponsored by his mother.

In fact, this company is just a brand, but Li Qingye used the company's shell to facilitate the establishment of a research institute in order to avoid the problem of applying for a private biochemical laboratory.

However, the laboratory of the cosmetics company spent about 2200 million to purchase a lot of scientific instruments for the biochemical laboratory.

He previously studied biochemistry and molecular biology at Jiangcheng University, completed his master's degree in 15 years, and then followed a supervisor to study for a doctoral degree.

This laboratory is 15 years old, the graduation gift given to Li Qingye by his mother.

After that, he studied some things he was interested in in his laboratory while studying for a Ph. D. until July 16.

An old classmate who went to the University of Copenhagen to study for a Ph.D. sent him a gene sequence test report, saying that it was a gene sequence detected from an ancient human remains excavated from a glacier in the Alps. .

Li Qingye was very interested in this. According to his analysis, this ancient human was most likely a Neanderthal.

In the study of sleepless nights and food, Li Qingye suddenly took out the genetic samples collected before (collected in surrounding towns and towns through free medical examinations) on a whim, and analyzed the 300 genetic samples in his hand.

During the analysis process, he extracted all the gene fragments about the Neanderthals from the genetic samples.

After comparing and piecing together the Negerian gene fragments in these samples, there is a large amount of overlap with the Negerian gene sequences sent by the students.

Li Qingye is very excited about this. If these patched-up Nepalese gene fragments can be recombined, is it possible to restore the Nepalese?
In the process of continuing in-depth research, Li Qingye inserted these gene fragments into mouse stem cells through gene editing technology (third-generation technology: CRISPR-Cas9), hoping to combine these genes.

It's just that this kind of gene editing experiment is more difficult than I imagined. After all, the gene fragments left in the gene sequence of modern Homo sapiens by Neanderthals are too fragmented and rare.

Soon the laboratory's stock of mouse stem cells was depleted.

Seeing that the experiment made no progress, Li Qingye also felt that he was whimsical.

Without stem cell materials, other materials can only be used as substrates, and boring and complicated gene editing is carried out in more than a dozen animal stem cells.

Before I knew it, the time came to October 16.

As usual, the first thing I do when I wake up every day is to observe the edited animal stem cells. I thought it would be another day of nothing, until the No. 57 medium.

under the microscope.

The lighthouse jellyfish stem cells in No. 57 medium actually redeveloped into the form of a polyp. What is even more surprising is that the polyp still has some changes.

After further testing and assays, a new enzyme was found in the lighthouse jellyfish.

Li Qingye studied this enzyme while doing repeated experiments.

A month later.

Looking at hundreds of gene-edited lighthouse jellyfish swimming slowly in the aquarium, and the light blue liquid in the test tube in his hand.

"This thing can actually turn some genes into pseudogenes, but..." Li Qingye looked at several cages not far away in surprise and joy.

Inside the iron cages, several domestic pigs were kept. These domestic pigs all suffered from different degrees of aging, organ lesions and genetic diseases.

If it was just like this, then Li Qingye might not be too interested in this enzyme, and more importantly, this enzyme can also activate some recessive genes.

"If this enzyme can become more controllable and reduce side effects, then maybe..." He was evaluating the value of this enzyme in his heart.

Thinking of the huge potential in this test tube, Li Qingye was so excited that he couldn't sleep at night. He continued to study this enzyme without sleeping or eating. At the same time, he began to try to adjust the gene sequence of gene editing to see if he could synthesize new enzymes or compounds.

In fact, Li Qingye is quite contradictory about his interest in scientific research.

He has lived under the protection of his parents since he was a child, and at the same time his elder brother is also very capable. Originally, his parents hoped that he could go to Peking University to study law and pass the public examination in the future, while his elder brother continued to develop in business , The two brothers can complement each other.

It's a pity that Li Qingye is very repulsed by this arrangement.

For the first time, he went against his father's arrangement and enrolled in Jiangcheng University's major of biochemistry and molecular biology just to prove himself.

After all, in business, he may not be able to surpass his father and elder brother in his whole life, and the intrigue in officialdom makes him feel very annoying and uncomfortable.

After thinking about it, the only choice left is the field of science.

Although with the help of my mother, achievements in the field of science, talent and hard work are also very important.

This unexpected discovery made Li Qingye very excited, because he could finally prove himself to everyone.

In order to improve this special enzyme, he didn't even go back to Pengcheng to meet his parents during the 17 New Year's Eve. Instead, he continued to stay in Jiangcheng's laboratory and devoted himself to research day and night.

until……

That day, a phone call came with shocking news.

He was so sad that he couldn't help but burst into tears.

At that moment, his life became gloomy, and any scientific achievements that shocked the world, any milestones in the history of human evolution, and any proving himself to the world became meaningless.

If possible, he would rather give up this achievement in exchange for the safety of his parents.

Maybe that's how people are.

Only when you lose it will you feel cherished.

Li Qingye, who was like a walking corpse, returned to Pengcheng, only to see the cold corpses of his parents, remorse, despair, and grief entrenched in his heart, making him lose his soul.

The night is getting darker.

The rain stopped outside the window, and the north wind became much quieter.

Li Qingye, who had nightmares again and again, slept until noon the next day in exhaustion.

For half a month, except for a village aunt who delivered food, he didn't see anyone, and he was locked in the house alone.

Until the afternoon of April 4.

The instructor's phone rang, and Li Qingye, who was stubble-grown and dull-eyed, looked at the ringing ringtones, and weakly pressed the answer:
"Hey……"

"Qingye, my condolences are changing. I plan to go to America for an academic visit in the near future. Would you like to go there together? It's good to change your mood."

But Li Qingye, who was ashamed, had no intention of going abroad: "Boss, I plan to suspend the postgraduate entrance examination..."

"What? Qingye, your talent is very good. Isn't it a pity to give up like this? You have to think carefully! Don't regret it when the time comes." The instructor persuaded with concern.

"No, it's all meaningless."

"..." The tutor on the other side of the phone was silent for a while, and continued: "Let's do this! Anyway, you are still young, you should rest and adjust your mentality in the past six months, and make a decision after half a year."

"Thank you, I will consider it." Li Qingye replied perfunctorily, then hung up the phone and prepared to continue lying on the bed.

Suddenly a headline pops up in the phone's browser.

He subconsciously prepared to clean up...

But in the next second, Li Qingye was stunned, and then clicked on the news.

After watching the news, he was in a bad mood, and his eyes flickered even more uncertainly: "What's going on? Could it be...impossible..."

Li Qingye, who couldn't believe it, continued to search for related news on the Internet, and soon hundreds of related news appeared on the phone page.

After browsing through the items one by one, his face became more and more gloomy, and at the same time, a terrible thought came to his mind.

(End of this chapter)