A study led by Toni Gabaldón rethinks the origin of complex eukaryotic cells, suggesting it was a longer, more gradual, and collaborative process involving contributions from multiple bacteria and giant viruses, not just a single archaeon and the bacterium that became the mitochondrion.

How this affects you

This research provides a revised understanding of how the complex cells that make up animals, plants, fungi, and protists, including humans, emerged. It broadens the historical narrative of life's evolution by showing a more intricate web of microbial interactions that led to eukaryotic cells.