Evolution: origin of eukaryotes: Archaea (Evolution)

by dhw, Thursday, May 16, 2019, 08:24 (2017 days ago) @ David Turell

QUOTE: "Today, the argument over where eukaryotes came from has matured. Many on both sides agree that the origin of eukaryotes probably involved a step known as endosymbiosis. This theory, championed by the late biologist Lynn Margulis, holds that a simple host cell living eons ago somehow swallowed a bacterium, and the two struck up a mutually beneficial relationship. These captive bacteria eventually evolved into mitochondria — the cellular substructures that produce energy — and the hybrid cells became what are now known as eukaryotes."

Just in passing, it is worth noting that Lynn Margulis regarded cooperation as a major factor in evolution, and championed the cause of cellular intelligence.