BMC Biol October 2014 PMID 25350791

An inside-out origin for the eukaryotic cell.

David A Baum, Buzz Baum

Mentions

113
Peak: 3 in Mar 2021
across 6 sources since May 2019

Extended reach

525,992
potential audience

Total likes

13,982

Video views

417,960

Mentions per month

May 2019 – Aug 2025

Where it's discussed

  • Facebook42 posts
  • News36 articles
  • X / Twitter20 posts
  • Blogs9 articles
  • Reddit4 posts
  • YouTube2 videos

AI synopsis

What people are saying

Discussions frequently express fascination with the inside-out origin theory, with posts mentioning supporting evidence, such as laments about what the Loki archaeal cells look like, and examples comparing different models like Baum and Baum's idea. The tone ranges from enthusiastic support to scientific curiosity, reflecting deep engagement with the research’s implications and potential impact on understanding eukaryotic cell origins.

AgreementModerate agreement

Most discussions show enthusiasm and support for the inside-out theory, with many expressing interest or positive reactions, reflecting overall agreement or curiosity.

InterestHigh interest

The majority of discussions are highly engaged, often referencing specific models, theories, and scientific debates, indicating strong interest.

EngagementModerate engagement

Posts delve into detailed aspects of the theory, sharing related research, commentaries, and personal insights, showing active engagement.

ImpactModerate impact

The conversations center around alternative models of cell evolution, indicating some influence on current scientific discourse but not yet broadly revolutionary.

Abstract in brief

  • The inside-out theory suggests that eukaryotic cells originated from an ancestral prokaryotic cell that extended membrane-bound blebs outward to interact with symbiotic mitochondria, leading to the formation of the cytoplasm and internal structures like the endoplasmic reticulum.
  • This model proposes that the nucleus and endomembrane system evolved from these outward protrusions, challenging traditional ideas which assume they formed inside the cytoplasm of primitive prokaryotes.
  • The theory helps explain features such as the nucleus’s independence in syncytia and the localization of protein glycosylation, offering new ideas about cell organization and predicting novel mechanisms like nuclear pore insertion during cell cycle phases.]

Top posts

Most liked on X and Bluesky
Buzz Baum
@BaumBuzz · X

The editor who contributed most to one of my papers is Miranda Robertson. After https://t.co/a7bsBCBNbp had been rejected numerous times, she got it reviewed and agreed to publish it IF David and I made it longer!! She wanted the argument to be fleshed out in full. She was right!

Mar 29, 2023 · 24 likes · 1 share · 2,578 followers View post →
Uri Manor
@manorlaboratory · X

More evidence consistent with my favorite working theory of how the modern eukaryotic cell evolved (see Baum and Baum: https://t.co/cgAFKclMsU) https://t.co/oE9qWGPtwF

Dec 21, 2022 · 8 likes · 15,724 followers View post →
Thomas Cabaret (thomascabaret84.bsky.social)
@ThomasCabaret84 · X

Le modèle "inside-out" pour expliquer l'origine de eukaryotes https://t.co/eZdDvCPXEh https://t.co/7MpomwG6T7

Apr 17, 2022 · 6 likes · 1 share · 4,927 followers View post →
Andreas Weber
@apmweber · X

Amazing work: Asgard Lokiarcheon isolated and characterised. Is hydrogen-producing amino-acid fermenter. Makes membrane protrusions. Supports "reverse-flow" hypothesis https://t.co/o95TjuFphk and "inside-out" hypothesis https://t.co/H6i6zrCWkw. No evidence of phagocytosis, though https://t.co/M4rke7ctp4

Aug 7, 2019 · 6 likes · 1 share · 2,835 followers View post →
Uri Manor
@manorlaboratory · X

So now I want to take a bit of a detour into what is apparently controversial in some circles, but I think is intellectually thrilling: A paper by @BaumBuzz and @baobabbaum titled "An inside-out origin for the eukaryotic cell." https://t.co/JNyUCrstzf

May 17, 2019 · 4 likes · 15,724 followers View post →
Uri Manor
@manorlaboratory · X

I love the image of Loki interacting with protobacteria. Reminds me of the Baum and Baum inside-out theory paper which is still my favorite model for how mitochondria became what they are (https://t.co/cgAFKc4JqU) https://t.co/goXOWx9Nl8 https://t.co/qjqH15WwMQ

Mar 7, 2024 · 4 likes · 15,724 followers View post →

All mentions

Unraveling the Evolution of the Cell Nucleus

This episode discusses the crucial role of the cell nucleus in multicellular life and explores the theories surrounding its evolution, including the intriguing idea of giant viruses. Join host Stefan Chin as we delve…

SciShow · Mar 18, 2021 414,326 views
norvid_studies
@norvid_studies · X

RT @LucreSnooker: @how_now00 @greegle_mudzone @odoreida @norvid_studies @Silicon_alien @manic_pixie_agi @jboysen0 @davmlaw @lu_sichu @virid…

Aug 24, 2025 · 1 share · 4,540 followers View post →
Lucre Snooker
@LucreSnooker · X

@how_now00 @greegle_mudzone @odoreida @norvid_studies @Silicon_alien @manic_pixie_agi @jboysen0 @davmlaw @lu_sichu @viriditax not really, but the guy who struck me as barking up the right tree has the entertaining name Buzz Baum https://t.co/E2iSuxbzSx https://t.co/xz3E7ewpoh

Aug 24, 2025 · 2 likes · 1 share · 3,473 followers View post →
Uri Manor
@manorlaboratory · X

I love the image of Loki interacting with protobacteria. Reminds me of the Baum and Baum inside-out theory paper which is still my favorite model for how mitochondria became what they are (https://t.co/cgAFKc4JqU) https://t.co/goXOWx9Nl8 https://t.co/qjqH15WwMQ

Mar 7, 2024 · 4 likes · 15,724 followers View post →
Naomi Attar
@naomiattar · X

RT @BaumBuzz: The editor who contributed most to one of my papers is Miranda Robertson. After https://t.co/a7bsBCBNbp had been rejected num…

Mar 29, 2023 · 1 share · 1,241 followers View post →
Buzz Baum
@BaumBuzz · X

The editor who contributed most to one of my papers is Miranda Robertson. After https://t.co/a7bsBCBNbp had been rejected numerous times, she got it reviewed and agreed to publish it IF David and I made it longer!! She wanted the argument to be fleshed out in full. She was right!

Mar 29, 2023 · 24 likes · 1 share · 2,578 followers View post →
Uri Manor
@manorlaboratory · X

More evidence consistent with my favorite working theory of how the modern eukaryotic cell evolved (see Baum and Baum: https://t.co/cgAFKclMsU) https://t.co/oE9qWGPtwF

Dec 21, 2022 · 8 likes · 15,724 followers View post →
Marco Hein @marcoyannic.bsky.social
@marcoyannic · X

@baym @baobabbaum & @BaumBuzz's "An inside-out origin for the eukaryotic cell" https://t.co/ROCLxALYuf

Sep 21, 2022 · 1 like · 2,456 followers View post →
Cahir O'Kane
@OKaneCahir · X

@Poppi62 Buzz Baum @lab_baum and his brother had a model on an alternative route to mitochondrial endosymbiosis, argued here: https://t.co/sZu44mwixC Update here: https://t.co/j0cq9fh0VO (tho’ it would place a double-membrane endosymbiont in the ER lumen)

Jun 29, 2022 · 1,657 followers View post →
Dr. Sam Dundon is over at BSky
@serdundon · X

Happy #CellfieSaturday! The eukaryotic origin story is often told of one cell taking up residence after being ‘eaten.’ So me upon first reading the idea of two cells as ‘friends with benefits':

May 21, 2022 · 2 likes · 2,301 followers View post →
Dan Starr
@DanStarrUCDavis · X

@phylogenomics @ucdavis Have you ever read the inside out theory by Baum and Baum? I highly recommend it. Of course I’m partial, because in that theory the nuclear envelope proteins I work on had to come before almost everything else! https://t.co/jBz06dXfME

Apr 20, 2022 · 4 likes · 2,126 followers View post →
Julien Gravelotte
@jijugo · X

RT @ThomasCabaret84: Le modèle "inside-out" pour expliquer l'origine de eukaryotes https://t.co/eZdDvCPXEh https://t.co/7MpomwG6T7

Apr 18, 2022 · 1 share · 160 followers View post →
Thomas Cabaret (thomascabaret84.bsky.social)
@ThomasCabaret84 · X

Le modèle "inside-out" pour expliquer l'origine de eukaryotes https://t.co/eZdDvCPXEh https://t.co/7MpomwG6T7

Apr 17, 2022 · 6 likes · 1 share · 4,927 followers View post →
William Peters MD
@wllm_ptrs · X

RT @efraimeph: @CMooreAnderson I like how the endomembrane system has direct openings to the outside environment. Reminded me of the inside…

Mar 30, 2021 · 1 share · 1,663 followers View post →
efraim
@efraimeph · X

@CMooreAnderson I like how the endomembrane system has direct openings to the outside environment. Reminded me of the inside-out theory for endosymbiosis. https://t.co/FsJwtLURme

Mar 30, 2021 · 1 like · 1 share · 74 followers View post →
Manuela Casasoli
@manuelacasasoli · X

@RickCorrington 1) https://t.co/NqMjBNlYbh 2) https://t.co/JPc6sj1D4m 3) https://t.co/uWi7ZCEGdp

Dec 9, 2020 · 1 like · 11,579 followers View post →
Katherine Brown
@katemmabrown1 · X

And take a look at Buzz's original theoretical paper with his cousin: https://t.co/pGNthqFtiY As Buzz says, compare the drawings in this paper with what the Loki archaeal cell actually looks like: https://t.co/ImW1gl15nS

Mar 18, 2020 · 1,566 followers View post →
Christopher Grefen
@MCBotany · X

RT @apmweber: Amazing work: Asgard Lokiarcheon isolated and characterised. Is hydrogen-producing amino-acid fermenter. Makes membrane protr…

Aug 7, 2019 · 1 share · 1,941 followers View post →
Andreas Weber
@apmweber · X

Amazing work: Asgard Lokiarcheon isolated and characterised. Is hydrogen-producing amino-acid fermenter. Makes membrane protrusions. Supports "reverse-flow" hypothesis https://t.co/o95TjuFphk and "inside-out" hypothesis https://t.co/H6i6zrCWkw. No evidence of phagocytosis, though https://t.co/M4rke7ctp4

Aug 7, 2019 · 6 likes · 1 share · 2,835 followers View post →
Uri Manor
@manorlaboratory · X

@vivekmalhotra18 What do you think about this paper? https://t.co/cgAFKclMsU

May 17, 2019 · 15,724 followers View post →
Uri Manor
@manorlaboratory · X

So now I want to take a bit of a detour into what is apparently controversial in some circles, but I think is intellectually thrilling: A paper by @BaumBuzz and @baobabbaum titled "An inside-out origin for the eukaryotic cell." https://t.co/JNyUCrstzf

May 17, 2019 · 4 likes · 15,724 followers View post →