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Health & Science4h 58m ago
A new study published in Nature rethinks the view that the acquisition of the mitochondrion was the ultimate turning point in the origin of complex cells, suggesting it was a longer, more gradual, and more collaborative process.
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Barcelona, Spain
Who
Dr. Toni Gabaldón, Moisès Bernabeu, Saioa Manzano-Morales, Marina Marcet-Houben (IRB Barcelona, BSC-CNS)
What
A new study published in Nature rethinks the view that the acquisition of the mitochondrion was the ultimate turning point in the origin of complex cells, suggesting it was a longer, more gradual, and more collaborative process.
When
Sat, 13 Jun 2026 16:40:09 GMT · 4h 58m ago
Where
Barcelona, Spain ·
Why
The study analyzed genomic data to reconstruct the repertoire of gene and protein families of the last common ancestor of all eukaryotes (LECA) and found imprints from other bacterial groups and giant viruses.
The Frontline Impact
How this affects you
This research provides a new perspective on the fundamental question of how complex cells, which make up all animals, plants, fungi, and protists, came to be. It suggests that the emergence of life as we know it involved a wider array of microbial alliances than previously understood.
Story chain
5 events in this thread- Health & Science4h 58m agoA new study led by Dr. Toni Gabaldón published in Nature suggests that the origin of complex cells was a longer, more gradual, and more collaborative process involving multiple bacterial groups and giant viruses, rather than primarily an archaeon and the bacterium that became the mitochondrion.Open article
- Health & Science4h 58m agoA new study published in Nature rethinks the dominant explanation for the origin of eukaryotic cells, suggesting it was a longer, more gradual, and more collaborative process involving other bacterial groups and giant viruses.Open article
- Health & Science4h 58m agoA new study published in Nature rethinks the dominant explanation for the origin of eukaryotic cells, suggesting it was a longer, more gradual, and more collaborative process involving other bacterial groups and giant viruses.Open article
- Currently Reading4h 58m agoA new study published in Nature rethinks the view that the acquisition of the mitochondrion was the ultimate turning point in the origin of complex cells, suggesting it was a longer, more gradual, and more collaborative process.
- Health & Science4h 58m agoA new study led by Dr. Toni Gabaldón published in Nature suggests that the origin of complex cells was a longer, more gradual, and more collaborative process than previously thought, involving other bacterial groups and giant viruses.Open article