Every once in awhile I catch up on the state of knowledge about really early evolution and there's at least one phylogeny where you have to hunt for the eukaryotes

The archaeal roots of eukaryotic life https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2516062123

#science #evolution #eukaryotes

`Through genome-wide CRISPR screening, we identified the RNA-binding protein DHX29 as a critical regulator of codon-dependent gene expression. Cryogenic electron microscopy and selective ribosome profiling demonstrated that DHX29 directly interacts with the A-site entrance of the translating 80S ribosome... These findings establish a mechanistic link between synonymous codon usage and the regulation of gene expression.`

http://dx.doi.org/10.1126/science.adw0288

#codon #synonymousCodon #eukaryotes #mRNA #DHX29

Ushikuvirus: Newly discovered virus may offer clues to the origin of eukaryotes

https://www.tus.ac.jp/en/mediarelations/archive/20251219_9539.html

#HackerNews #Ushikuvirus #Eukaryotes #Virus #Discovery #Science #News

Ushikuvirus: Newly discovered virus may offer clues to the origin of eukaryotes

https://www.tus.ac.jp/en/mediarelations/archive/20251219_9539.html

#HackerNews #Ushikuvirus #Eukaryotes #Virus #Discovery #Science #News

New #ISEPpapers #preprint! Environmental #phylogenetics supports a steady diversification of crown #eukaryotes starting from the mid Proterozoic https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2025.12.12.693929v1.full

#Protists #Microbes #Evolution #Phylogeny #Proterozoic #Eukaryogenesis

"The rise of the eukaryotes was one of the most important events in Earth’s history. If it had not occurred, there would be no great white sharks, no towering redwood trees, no hovering hummingbirds and no people. Just slimy layers of bacteria and archaea, everywhere. And the Asgard archaea may have started it all."

https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cells-origin-of-life-asgard-archaea

#Life #Eukaryotes #Archaea #Asgard #Cells #Biology #Evolution #Genetics

Complex #life began to develop earlier, and over a longer span of time, than previously believed.

Nee findings indicate that complex organisms evolved long before there were substantial levels of #oxygen in the #atmosphere, something which had previously been considered a prerequisite to the #evolution of complex life.

The #earth is approximately 4.5 billion years old, with the first #microbial life forms appearing over 4 billion years ago.

These organisms consisted of two groups – #bacteria and the distinct but related #archaea, collectively known as #prokaryotes.

Prokaryotes were the only form of life on earth for hundreds of millions of years, until more complex eukaryotic cells including organisms such as #algae, #fungi, #plants and #animals evolved.

Previous ideas on how and when early prokaryotes transformed into complex #eukaryotes has largely been in the realm of speculation. Estimates have spanned a billion years, as no intermediate forms exist and definitive fossil evidence has been lacking.

By collecting evidence from multiple #gene families in multiple biological systems and focusing on the features which distinguish eukaryotes from prokaryotes, researchers were able to begin to piece together the developmental pathway for complex life. 

They obtained evidence that the transition began almost 2.9 billion years ago – almost a billion years earlier than by some other estimates –  suggesting that the nucleus and other internal structures appear to have evolved significantly before #mitochondria.

The process of cumulative complexification seems to have taken place over a much longer time period than previously thought.

#biology
https://www.bristol.ac.uk/news/2025/december/complex-life-developed-earlier-than-previously-thought-new-study-reveals.html

Paper by Kay et al. (2025): https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09808-z

Discovery of rare #protist reveals previously unknown branch of eukaryotic tree of life https://phys.org/news/2025-11-discovery-rare-protist-reveals-previously.html

New #ISEPpapers: Rare microbial relict sheds light on an ancient eukaryotic supergroup https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-025-09750-0

#Protists #Microbes #Evolution #Eukaryotes #TreeOfLife #NewSpecies