Dr. Darragh Ennis

And because they were so good at providing energy, they've become part of our setup. So they're an alien life form that over tens of millions of years has just come along with living animals and helps them provide their energy. So... that massively makes it more efficient. And yeah, it's just, it's a series of different reactions that make food energy into the energy that our cells can use.

And because they were so good at providing energy, they've become part of our setup. So they're an alien life form that over tens of millions of years has just come along with living animals and helps them provide their energy. So... that massively makes it more efficient. And yeah, it's just, it's a series of different reactions that make food energy into the energy that our cells can use.

And it's amazing. It's astounding, to be honest.

And it's amazing. It's astounding, to be honest.

And it's amazing. It's astounding, to be honest.

No, no. I do quite a lot of, you know, public events and things and people ask me science questions and I love that. I really do because it's my real passion. But a lot of people say things like, oh, you know, in 10,000 years will we have much longer fingers because we type and that's how evolution works. And it really isn't. Evolution...

No, no. I do quite a lot of, you know, public events and things and people ask me science questions and I love that. I really do because it's my real passion. But a lot of people say things like, oh, you know, in 10,000 years will we have much longer fingers because we type and that's how evolution works. And it really isn't. Evolution...

No, no. I do quite a lot of, you know, public events and things and people ask me science questions and I love that. I really do because it's my real passion. But a lot of people say things like, oh, you know, in 10,000 years will we have much longer fingers because we type and that's how evolution works. And it really isn't. Evolution...

only works if something makes you more likely to survive and have children. Those two things have to be together. So if it doesn't make you more likely to reproduce, then evolution throws it away and that's it. And it's random, completely random, but over enough time, it will eventually, you know, get us from one of those single celled organisms to the one that can get the bus to work.

only works if something makes you more likely to survive and have children. Those two things have to be together. So if it doesn't make you more likely to reproduce, then evolution throws it away and that's it. And it's random, completely random, but over enough time, it will eventually, you know, get us from one of those single celled organisms to the one that can get the bus to work.

only works if something makes you more likely to survive and have children. Those two things have to be together. So if it doesn't make you more likely to reproduce, then evolution throws it away and that's it. And it's random, completely random, but over enough time, it will eventually, you know, get us from one of those single celled organisms to the one that can get the bus to work.

But the amount of time is absolutely immense. You know, you're talking tens or possibly even over hundreds of millions of years.

But the amount of time is absolutely immense. You know, you're talking tens or possibly even over hundreds of millions of years.

But the amount of time is absolutely immense. You know, you're talking tens or possibly even over hundreds of millions of years.

Very rarely. Like you will occasionally get a very bizarre mutation that will completely change an animal. It will change its color or it will do something really, really weird to it. But yes, most of the time the change is extremely gradual and quite often, uh, it's because there's a cost to everything.

Very rarely. Like you will occasionally get a very bizarre mutation that will completely change an animal. It will change its color or it will do something really, really weird to it. But yes, most of the time the change is extremely gradual and quite often, uh, it's because there's a cost to everything.

Very rarely. Like you will occasionally get a very bizarre mutation that will completely change an animal. It will change its color or it will do something really, really weird to it. But yes, most of the time the change is extremely gradual and quite often, uh, it's because there's a cost to everything.

So having any part of your body or doing any action or producing anything costs the cells in your body something. You know, you have to make the proteins, you have to do all of this kind of thing. Or there is a cost as in it makes you more likely that another animal will eat you or it makes you less likely to reproduce.

So having any part of your body or doing any action or producing anything costs the cells in your body something. You know, you have to make the proteins, you have to do all of this kind of thing. Or there is a cost as in it makes you more likely that another animal will eat you or it makes you less likely to reproduce.

So having any part of your body or doing any action or producing anything costs the cells in your body something. You know, you have to make the proteins, you have to do all of this kind of thing. Or there is a cost as in it makes you more likely that another animal will eat you or it makes you less likely to reproduce.