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For the first time in over a billion years, two life forms have merged to create a single organism through a process known as primary endosymbiosis. This rare occurrence has happened only twice in Earth’s history and has led to complex life forms such as mitochondria and plants. Recently, an international team of scientists observed this evolutionary phenomenon happening between a species of algae and a bacterium.
Tyler Coale, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, led the research that uncovered this unique event. He explained how previous instances of primary endosymbiosis resulted in the diversity of life we see today. The algae engulfs the bacterium, providing nutrients and protection while receiving new functions like nitrogen fixation in exchange. This symbiotic relationship results in the bacterium becoming an organelle within the algae, crucial for its survival.
The scientists involved in this study come from institutions such as MIT, UC Santa Cruz, and Kochi University in Japan. They published their findings in esteemed scientific journals, shedding light on evolution while also having the potential to revolutionize agriculture by engineering similar organelles into crop plants.