Simple single-celled organisms appeared across the planet approximately 3.5 billion years ago. By around 2.5 billion years ago, they’d increased in size and developed sophisticated internal structures that improved their ability to interact with their world. The transition set the scene for the proliferation of millions of complex life forms, including birds, beetles and baby’s breath. It constitutes one of the most important moments of the planet’s past, and yet, its particulars continue to stump scientists.
Recent research could clarify things. In fact, an article in Nature Microbiology states that the recent identification of a previously unknown virus among single-celled organisms could cast light on the origins of complex life and illuminate the potential involvement of viruses in their formation.
All complex forms of life, including plants and animals, consist of complex eukaryotic cells. These cells all contain a nucleus that carries genetic information and controls cell function, as well ...
