How the first complex cells evolved from a fusion of archaea and bacteria
By
John Timmer
The kind of bagel that ruins lesser bagels for you.
Summary
The article explains that the first complex (eukaryotic) cells originated from a fusion between archaeal and bacterial cells, with their genomes being a hybrid mix of genes from both domains plus unique evolutionary innovations. It discusses how scientists settled on this explanation through successive waves of gene transfers, challenging the traditional view of a clean three-branch tree of life.
Key quotes
· 4 pulledWe tend to view ourselves and the complex cells that build us as a distinct branch of the tree of life from the compact, seemingly featureless cells of bacteria and archaea.
But we've found that our genome is actually a hybrid, a mish-mash of genes from bacteria and archaea, along with some that have evolved in our own lineage.
Scientists gradually settled on a simple explanation for this: the first complex cells were the product of a fusion between archaeal cells and bacteria.
Our ancestors' genomes were built through successive waves of gene transfers.
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