Not exact matches
It is a kind of «missing link» in the study of
life's emergence, demonstrating how
nucleated cells first appeared.
The
living world thrived long before the origin of
nucleated organisms [the eukaryotic cells, which have genetic material enclosed in well - defined membranes].
For eons prior to the emergence of the
nucleated cell,
life on Earth was essentially slime: vast, directionless mats of single - celled bacteria and archaea.
This narrow view has been becoming overshadowed by genetic findings that support the more recent hypothesis of complex roots, which emphasizes lateral genetic exchanges or horizontal gene transfers (HGT) rather than vertical mutational progression in the development of
nucleated organisms, through a clearly defined «tree of
life» (Mark Buchanan, New Scientist, January 26, 2010).