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A recent evolutionary phenomenon has occurred between a species of ocean algae and a bacterium, marking the first time in at least a billion years that two lifeforms have merged into a single organism. This rare event, known as primary endosymbiosis, has only happened twice in Earth’s history – with the first giving rise to mitochondria and the second to plants. An international team of scientists observed this occurrence between these two species.
Tyler Coale, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, led the research that uncovered this unique occurrence. This discovery is crucial as it can offer new insights into evolution and has the potential to revolutionize agriculture. The algae engulfs the bacterium, providing it with nutrients and energy in exchange for functions it previously could not perform, such as fixing nitrogen from the air. As a result, the algae incorporates the bacterium as an organelle, becoming vital to its host’s functioning.
This groundbreaking discovery was recently published in scientific journals Science and Cell and may provide clues into engineering such an organelle into crop plants. Researchers from various institutions in the US, Japan, and Spain collaborated on this project, enhancing our understanding of evolution and agriculture.
