The autotrophic cell is the one who is able to produce, by it self, its own energy and structural components. It corresponds, in the natural world to the vegetable cell. We call to this process photosynthesis and the wonderful -and truly amazing feature- of this natural phenomena, is that while the income needed for it is inorganic, the final product corresponds to the organic biochemistry world. Every one of us knows, since the basic education, that the needs for this process are water, CO2 and sun light (please notice that some exceptional organisms can produce organic molecules with out sun light); while the final products, are the organic molecules, the glucose and the oxygen.

It means that the vegetable cell it’s a magnificent factory of life; it is the truly link between the inorganic and the organic world. It is possible thanks to the chloroplast, a mysterious and fabulous organelle deeply inserted in the structure and function of the vegetable cell, where the photosynthetic process takes place.<?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-com:office:office" /?>

The animal cell, by the other side, is not an autotrophic one. As part of its evolutionary process it learned to use the oxygen, the byproduct of the chloroplast, to ensure living by using it as part of the factory of energy. This process occurs at the mitochondria, also a mysterious and fabulous organelle deeply inserted in the animal cell. This structure, obtained during the evolution of life by the animal cell, is its factory of energy; the income needed for its functions are glucose and oxygen, which are obtained by the digestive and respiratory systems respectively, in the animal organisms constituted by multiple cells. So the oxygen, if well can be found in the inorganic world, is produced by the vegetable cell and is used by the animal cell for the energy production; animal cells life itself is impossible to think in an anaerobic environment –despite some exceptional forms of life, who have developed an amazing process of adaptation and so are capable to produce energy in an environment where the oxygen is absent-.

By the other side, glucose, the another income for energy production within the animal cell, is not produced in the inorganic world by itself, so it has to be obtained from an organic source, it means from another organism that has previously produced this molecule; another form of living organism. So at the end, the humans, since the point of view that we are nothing more that a group of animal cells, need to steal from others our income needed for our factory of energy; it means from another living organism that took the care and time to produce it. We are unable to produce our own sources of energy, furthermore, we are unable to fabric them from non-organic molecules, like the vegetable cell does. If well it is a marvelous concept, the way that the evolutionary process made us capable to produce energy from byproducts of the metabolism of other living creatures, at the end of the day what we do is to steal from others.

But, what do we need the energy for? Mainly the energy produced by the mitochondria is used for the protein production. The proteins are the constituents of the animal organism forming structures, like the muscles, tendons and even the membrane of the cell it self, but also with some particular and specific functions, like hormones and neurotransmitters, not becoming part of structures but leading to very important events, like oxygen distribution, reproduction, thinking, creating or feeling. The factory of proteins and where most of the energy is used is another amazing intracellular organelle called ribosome.

This particular structure is a factory that follows specific instructions, according the genetic code, that is also a protein itself previously formed in the ribosome; these instructions command the type and the timing for the protein formation.

Proteins, in biochemistry, are not more that a sequence of smaller molecules called amino acids; these amino acids are the “bricks” conforming “the wall”, being this wall the entire protein. The function of the protein will be different according the sequence of amino acids and their spatial orientation. But as well as the source of energy for this process, the main chemical income, the amino acids, are not produced by the cell it self. They have to come from another organism that previously took the work of produce them.

So we have to steal again. According the particular species, the amino acids can be divided into essential and not essential, depending upon they can be synthesized by the organism, but even in the case of the non-essential amino acids, if well they are produced within the organism, it has to use as the chemical income, parts of other amino acids; so as a whole, all the incomes of this factory of proteins, are obtained from an external source, it means, another living organism who took the work of synthesized them. It means, steal again.

When we eat proteins -from vegetable or animal source- our digestive system unfold them into amino acids (bricks), and finally –with the magnificent function of the liver and circulatory system- they are given to the a particular cell, that depending its functions, will use them, joining the molecules, in a predetermined order, to produce, its particular protein sequence. So, whatever animal organism we are talking about, the constituents and the energy to produce them, the animal cell –yours, mine or whatever animal organism you know- must take them from another cell (animal or vegetable) that has previously produce them.

What do you think about steal? What tells you your learned ethic and moral principles? What have you learned and practiced in your particular culture about taking from others? About kill to others with the objective to obtain what you need? Well, whatever you might think about the ethics of this behavior, if you have sustained your life until this point, is just because you have been doing this daily, during your entire life, since the time of your conception. You have been stealing from others; you have been killing others for you to survive during your entire long life period.  

In modern societies, we frequently do not kill by our selves to obtain constituent and energy on a daily basis, even that we need those elements everyday. If not the rule, commonly there are humans specialized in this activity; so we buy what we need in the market, with differences according the particular culture. This kind of social arrangement is the reason why sometimes we do not make a real conscious of this process. But maybe from time to time we shall remember that it is inherent to every one of us.

We protect our genetic code; our neural structures are programmed for survival. But the protection to our genetic codes is not limited to our selves; we protect to those parts of our genetic code that we gave to our descendants (also we feel an inherent respect, in some way or another, for those who gave us a portion of their genes, our parents). We are not programmed to use the components of our nearest genetics codes for our own survival.

But we are programmed to use the structure and energy created by others not so genetically linked with us to be used by us and furthermore, to give them to our descendants. We are programmed to ensure food to our families, even after our period of life has finished; but we do not find any pleasure even in to think to use genetic codes similar to ours. We are programmed to steal to ensure the maintenance of our genetic codes after our own life period.

In many cultures is a well appreciated act to protect families and to ensure the food for them, today and for the future. We used to call it “love”…but it is nothing more that a magnificent selfish act. It is to prefer me and mines (individuals and genes) instead of the others.