Mastodawn

10-Jun-2026
How our #cells evolved: #Genome analysis rewrites the origin of the first #eukaryotes
Using the MareNostrum supercomputer, researchers at BSC-CNS and IRB Barcelona discover that the first complex cells emerged from a gradual, millions-year alliance involving giant #viruses and multiple bacterial groups

https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/1131233

#science #evolution #astrobiology #complexity #symbiosis

How our cells evolved: Genome analysis rewrites the origin of the first eukaryotes

Published in Nature, the team led by Dr. Toni Gabaldón used the MareNostrum supercomputer to reconstruct the genetic origin of the last common ancestor of all eukaryotes—the cellular lineage to which animals, plants, fungi, and protists belong. The study challenges the idea that cellular complexity emerged from a single evolutionary encounter, pointing instead to a gradual process of interactions among different microorganisms that lasted for millions of years. The findings, which culminate more than five years of computational work, identify contributions from several bacteria in addition to the one that gave rise to mitochondria, and suggest that giant viruses may have acted as vehicles for gene transfer.

EurekAlert!

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Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo Jun 5

2/11 One thing we particularly liked is the scale of the survey. The authors systematically map multinucleated organisms across #eukaryotes, showing that #multinucleation has evolved repeatedly in fungi, animals, plants, algae and diverse #protists. That recurrence alone deserves attention.

Mikko Tuomi May 24

The earliest known #eukaryotes, the ancestors of all complex #life on Earth, lived in oxygenated, shallow marine environments nearly 1.7 billion years ago.

The earliest eukaryotes for which we have #fossils lived in predominantly near-shore, oxygenated, benthic (on the seafloor) settings.

This implies that the availability of #oxygen was dictating eukaryote #evolution from its early stages.

#biology #astrobiology
https://astrobiology.com/2026/05/early-complex-life-lived-in-oxygenated-seas-challenging-long-held-views-of-evolution.html

Paper by Lechte et al. (2026):
https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10533-4

Early Complex Life Lived In Oxygenated Seas, Challenging Long‑held Views Of Evolution - Astrobiology

The earliest known eukaryotes lived in oxygenated, shallow marine environments nearly 1.7 billion years ago

Astrobiology

ISEP Apr 14

New #ISEPpapers #preprint by @DEEMteam: Re-evaluating the eukaryotic #TreeOfLife with independent phylogenomic data https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.64898/2026.04.08.717153v1.abstract

"analyses confirm most eukaryotic supergroups previously observed, but suggest different positions for some lineages. Notably, Telonemia clusters with Haptophyta rather than SAR, and Ancyromonadida and Malawimonadida form a monophyletic group at the base of the Opimoda."

#Protists #Microbes #Evolution #Eukaryotes #Phylogeny #Bioinformatics #Algae

Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬Mar 26

How #Microbes Got Their Crawl
#Prokaryotes arose more than four billion years ago. #Eukaryotes emerged much later, somewhere between 2.5 and two billion years ago. How complex eukaryotes evolved from simpler prokaryotes has left scientists scratching their heads for decades.
In the oceans and on land, scientists are discovering rare, transitional organisms that bridge the gap between Earth’s simplest cells and today’s complex ones.
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/02/18/science/evolution-cells-asgard.html
https://archive.ph/0iskp

How Microbes Got Their Crawl

In the oceans and on land, scientists are discovering rare, transitional organisms that bridge the gap between Earth’s simplest cells and today’s complex ones.

The New York Times

Jeremy B. Yoder 🖖🏻🌿🏳️‍🌈📈Mar 20

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

katch wreck Mar 20

`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

Benjamin Carr, Ph.D. 👨🏻‍💻🧬Jan 15

How these strange #cells may explain the origin of complex life
Asgard archaea bear traits that hint at how #eukaryotes emerged
#Archaea: single-celled organisms that look much like bacteria. 10ya, new group called #AsgardArchaea was identified in sediments from Atlantic. Nothing like us: They live mostly in places with little or no oxygen, and almost unbelievably ancient, perhaps 3B yr. Yet their #DNA shows they are close to humans on tree of life
https://www.sciencenews.org/article/cells-origin-of-life-asgard-archaea
https://archive.ph/DysBo

How these strange cells may explain the origin of complex life

The tiny pantheon known as the Asgard archaea bear traits that hint at how plants, animals and fungi emerged on Earth.

Science News

N-gated Hacker News Jan 8

🌟🍃BREAKING: Scientists discover a new virus, and now they think it holds the secret to life itself! Who knew a giant amoeba-infecting bug could be the Rosetta Stone of eukaryotes? Next up: Amoebas demand royalties for their starring role in #evolution. 😲🦠
https://www.tus.ac.jp/en/mediarelations/archive/20251219_9539.html #newvirus #eukaryotes #scientificdiscovery #amoeba #breakthroughs #HackerNews #ngated