You are cells. Your muscles, organs, skin and hair. They are in your blood and in your bones.

Cells are biological robots. They don’t want anything, they don’t feel anything. They are never sad or happy. They just are, right here, right now. They are as conscious as a stone or a chair or a neutron star. Cells just follow their programming that has been evolving and changing for billions of years, molded by natural selection. They are impossible machines and yet, here they are, driven entirely by the fundamental forces of the universe. The smallest unit of life, right at the border where physics becomes biology. Sometimes, to get a truer understanding of how amazing something is, you need to hold your breath and dive in really deep. So, what are cells and how do they work?

Zellen sind unmögliche Maschinen. Und trotzdem gibt es sie, angetrieben durch die fundamentalen Kräfte des Universums. Die kleinste Einheit des Lebens, direkt an der Grenze zwischen Physik und Biologie.

Um besser zu verstehen, wie erstaunlich etwas wirklich ist, muss man manchmal die Luft anhalten und tief eintauchen. Was sind also Zellen, und wie funktionieren sie?