Ancient Stromatolite Microbe Partnership Offers Clues to Origin of Complex Cells
Researchers captured an Asgard archaeon physically linked to a bacterium inside modern stromatolites, providing visual evidence of early microbial cooperation that may have led to eukaryotic cells.
Scientists investigating living stromatolites in Shark Bay have identified a previously unknown Asgard archaeon that forms nanoscale tube connections with a bacterium. Electron cryotomography revealed the two microbes sharing nutrients, vitamins and hydrogen, mirroring hypothesized steps toward eukaryotic cell formation. After years of difficulty culturing the archaeon, the researchers employed deep-learning methods to predict its protein structures, uncovering ancient cellular machinery.
The new species, Nerearchaeum marumarumayae, was named in consultation with Malgana elders, linking the discovery to Indigenous heritage. Co-authors Brendan Burns, Debnath Ghosal, Kate Mitchie and Iain Duggin say the work provides a tangible model of early symbiosis that may have driven the emergence of complex life. The findings were published in Current Biology.
Why it matters
It offers concrete evidence of how early microbial partnerships could have sparked the evolution of complex, eukaryotic cells.
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