Archaea are a major domain of prokaryotic microorganisms characterized by unique molecular and biochemical features distinguishing them from Bacteria and Eukarya. Their cell membranes typically contain ether-linked isoprenoid lipids, and their cell walls lack peptidoglycan, instead incorporating diverse polymers such as pseudomurein or S-layer proteins. Archaeal information-processing machinery (DNA replication, transcription, and translation) shows higher homology to eukaryotic systems than to bacterial counterparts. Archaea occupy a wide range of environments, including extreme habitats and moderate ecosystems, and play critical roles in biogeochemical cycles, notably methanogenesis and ammonia oxidation, making them important topics in microbial ecology, evolution, and environmental genomics.
You might know the short-tailed shearwater and sable shearwater by the common name "muttonbirds." These two species of seabird breed on islands off southeastern Australia. Both undertake a breathtaking two-week, non-stop ...
Ecology
Apr 25, 2026
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New research shows that variation in mating behaviors, parental care and differences in ornamentation of the sexes in bird species is driven by demographics rather than vice versa. An international team of researchers from ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 22, 2026
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A new study comparing invasive cane toads in Japan and Australia has found substantial changes in body size and shape have developed much more rapidly than suggested by long-held ideas of the pace of evolution. Researchers ...
Plants & Animals
Apr 21, 2026
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An Adelaide University study has revealed that per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) found in tap water, at levels currently considered safe, affected the development of embryos, causing irreversible damage that may ...
Environment
Apr 14, 2026
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On the shores of the west coast of Australia lies a window to our past: the stromatolites and microbial mats of Gathaagudu (Shark Bay).
Cell & Microbiology
Apr 10, 2026
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342
Stromatolites—and their close relatives, microbial mats—could be mistaken for what seems like a bunch of old dark rocks. But instead, they are dense, layered communities of microbes. Long before complex life such as animals ...
Evolution
Apr 9, 2026
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225
Deep-sea waters are warming due to heat waves and climate change, and it could spell trouble for the oceans' delicate chemical and biological balance. However, a study published in Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 9, 2026
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172
Our single-celled ancestor lived in a world without plants, animals or oxygen-rich oceans. Yet, this seemingly simple microorganism took the first steps toward complex life. From this ancestor emerged all multicellular (complex) ...
Evolution
Mar 5, 2026
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The most widely accepted scientific explanation for the arrival of all complex life on Earth has had an unsolved mystery at its heart. According to the theory, all plants, animals and fungi, known collectively as eukaryotes, ...
Evolution
Feb 18, 2026
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55
A new collaborative study, led by University of Utah Professor of atmospheric sciences Kevin Perry, provides policymakers, agency leaders, and the public with the most comprehensive assessment to date of potential dust control ...
Earth Sciences
Feb 13, 2026
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