African scientists hail mushrooming global interest in conserving fungi

Amid growing evidence of fungi’s key role in ecosystems and storing carbon, mycologists seek greater recognition of the need to preserve ‘funga’ as much as flora and fauna

‘First contact’ that may have led to complex life on Earth finally witnessed by scientists

Stromatolites might look like rocks. But they are living relics of ancient systems that thrived on Earth billions of years ago.

What Is: Mitochondrion

The origin of the mitochondrion is the subject of intense phylogenomic reconstruction.

Eukaryotic cell emerged as evolutionary algorithmic phase transition | Press and Public Relations

Eukaryotic phytoplankton decline due to ocean acidification could significantly impact global carbon cycle

Princeton University and Xiamen University researchers report that in tropical and subtropical oligotrophic waters, ocean acidification reduces primary production, the process of photosynthesis in phytoplankton, where they take in carbon dioxide (CO2), sunlight, and nutrients to produce organic matter (food and energy).

Scientists discover first nitrogen-fixing organelle

Modern biology textbooks assert that only bacteria can take nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it into a form that is usable for life. Plants that fix nitrogen, such as legumes, do so by harboring symbiotic bacteria in root nodules. But a recent discovery upends that rule.

Scientists discover first nitrogen-fixing organelle

Modern biology textbooks assert that only bacteria can take nitrogen from the atmosphere and convert it into a form that is usable for life. Plants that fix nitrogen, such as legumes, do so by harboring symbiotic bacteria in root nodules. But a recent discovery upends that rule.

Why eukaryotes, not bacteria, evolved complex multicellularity

Prokaryotic single-celled organisms, the ancestors of modern-day bacteria and archaea, are the most ancient form of life on our planet, first appearing roughly 3.5 billion years ago. The first eukaryotic cells appeared around 1–1.5 billion years later. However, eukaryotic cells have since diversified into many complex, multicellular organisms that we see around us every day—fungi, plants and animals—while prokaryotes have remained decidedly unicellular.