Methane is a greenhouse gas 20 times more potent than carbon dioxide. Billions of years ago, methane-producing archaea likely played a key role in determining the composition of the Earth's atmosphere and regulating the global ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 5, 2019
0
104
Methane is not only a powerful greenhouse gas, but also a source of energy. Microorganisms therefore use it for their metabolism. They do so much more frequently and in more ways than was previously assumed, as revealed by ...
Cell & Microbiology
Mar 4, 2019
1
21
The recent discovery of a new lineage of microbes has overturned biologists' understanding of the evolution of complex life on Earth. Genomic studies of Asgard archaea revealed that they carry many genes previously thought ...
Evolution
Jan 15, 2019
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6
The ammonia oxidizing archaea, or Thaumarchaeota, are among the most abundant marine microorganisms. Yet, scientists are still discovering which factors allow them to thrive in the ocean. A research team from the Max Planck ...
Plants & Animals
Dec 10, 2018
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14
Within harsh environments like hot springs, volcanic craters and deep-sea hydrothermal vents – uninhabitable by most life forms – microscopic organisms are thriving. How? It's all in how they wrap themselves.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 5, 2018
0
23
University of Nebraska-Lincoln researchers have found revolutionary evidence that an evolutionary phenomenon at work in complex organisms is at play in their single-celled counterparts, too.
Evolution
Dec 3, 2018
3
290
Extremophiles—hardy organisms living in places that would kill most life on Earth—provide fascinating insights into evolution, metabolism and even possible extraterrestrial life. A new study provides insights into how ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 26, 2018
2
142
Dr. Tessa Quax has identified the structure of a central protein used by archaea to determine the direction to swim. Archaea are single-cell life forms without a nucleus. She also studied which molecular mechanisms are involved ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jan 23, 2018
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5
The three domains of life—archaea, bacteria, and eukarya—may have more in common than previously thought.
Cell & Microbiology
Dec 19, 2017
0
247
Researchers in Japan and China believe they have found new molecular fossils of archaea using a method of analysis commonly used in forensic science.
Cell & Microbiology
Aug 31, 2017
0
14
