Complex archaea that bridge the gap between prokaryotes and eukaryotes.

Anja Spang, Jimmy H Saw, Steffen L Jørgensen, Katarzyna Zaremba-Niedzwiedzka, Joran Martijn, Anders E Lind, Roel van Eijk, Christa Schleper, Lionel Guy, Thijs J G Ettema

May 2015

Synopsis of Social media discussions

Discussions emphasize how the research challenges previous assumptions about cellular evolution, with phrases like 'bridge the gap,' 'complex archaea,' and 'significant discovery,' reflecting a tone of curiosity and importance. Examples include references to groundbreaking studies and deep-sea discoveries, illustrating both scientific interest and perceived significance of the findings.

A
Agreement
 Moderate agreement

Most discussions express support or fascination with the research, highlighting its significance in understanding evolutionary connections.

I
Interest
 High level of interest

Posts demonstrate high interest, with comments highlighting the discovery and its broader implications, such as the potential to bridge gaps in evolutionary biology.

E
Engagement
 Moderate level of engagement

The posts show active engagement, referencing specific studies, such as genome resolution and cultivation of archaea, and discussing concepts like membrane remodeling and viral interactions.

I
Impact
 Moderate level of impact

The discovery is viewed as potentially transformative, with mentions of deep-sea exploration and new insights into the complexity of archaea, indicating perceived high impact.

Social Mentions

YouTube

2 Videos

Bluesky

4 Posts

Facebook

52 Posts

Twitter

3 Posts

Blogs

39 Articles

News

84 Articles

Metrics

Video Views

401

Total Likes

32

Extended Reach

13,136

Social Features

184

Timeline: Posts about article

Top Social Media Posts

Posts referencing the article

Discovery of Lokiarchaeota and Its Implications for Eukaryotic Evolution

Discovery of Lokiarchaeota and Its Implications for Eukaryotic Evolution

The first episode explores how archaea were discovered by Carl Woese in 1977 and discusses the phylogenetic makeup of the domain. Recent findings on Lokiarchaeota suggest archaea may be ancestors of eukaryotic cells, highlighting their complex capabilities.

Archaeal Adventures

March 3, 2025

332 views

Evolution of Eukaryotic Cells from Complex Archaea

Evolution of Eukaryotic Cells from Complex Archaea

The discovery of Lokiarchaeota, a new group of archaea, supports the idea that eukaryotic cells may have evolved from within the archaeal domain, challenging previous beliefs about their origins. These archaea had advanced capabilities like membrane remodeling, enabling cellular complexity.

HummingGhost

August 10, 2025

69 views

  • Mathieu M.J.E. Rebeaud
    @chercheurjuteux.com (Bluesky)

    Ce papier particulièrement Complex archaea that bridge the gap between prokaryotes and eukaryotes www.nature.com/articles/nat...
    view full post

    September 25, 2025

    2

  • Alex Crits-Christoph
    @acritschristoph.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    caveat, some of these began before 2015, but have come into their own since: 1. genome resolved metagenomics + CPR: www.nature.com/articles/nmi... 2. Asgard archaea, discovery to cultivation: pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/25945739/ 3. extent of trace gas oxidation: www.nature.com/articles/s41...
    view full post

    March 20, 2025

    4

    1

  • Eager Beaver
    @eagerbeavertech (Twitter)

    https://t.co/EN7j8DA98w Spang, A. et al. Complex archaea that bridge the gap between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. A jumbo phage that forms a nucleus-like structure evades CRISPR-Cas DNA targeting but is vulnerable to type III RNA-based immunity....
    view full post

    June 27, 2022

  • Manuela Casasoli
    @manuelacasasoli (Twitter)

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

    December 9, 2020

    1

  • Infocito ✨Tonto de bata y de bota
    @LoBiologia (Twitter)

    Spang, A., Saw, J., Jørgensen, S. et al. Complex archaea that bridge the gap between prokaryotes and eukaryotes. Nature 521, 173–179 (2015). https://t.co/oEEmAApgVK
    view full post

    October 18, 2020

    1

  • Niklaus Grunwald
    @grunwald.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    Complex archaea that bridge the gap between prokaryotes and eukaryotes : Nature : Nature Publishing ... | @scoopit http://sco.lt/4vCEWP
    view full post

    May 13, 2015

  • David G Haskell
    @dghaskell.bsky.social (Bluesky)

    Stunning discovery from deep sea "Complex archaea that bridge the gap between prokaryotes and eukaryotesvia @nature go.nature.com/rCwuip
    view full post

    May 7, 2015

Abstract Synopsis

  • The discovery of Lokiarchaeota, a new group of archaea, supports the idea that eukaryotic cells may have evolved from within the archaeal domain, challenging previous beliefs about their origins.
  • Lokiarchaeota genomes contain many eukaryotic signature proteins, suggesting these archaea had advanced capabilities like membrane remodeling, which are features typical of eukaryotic cells.
  • This research indicates that the ancestor of eukaryotes was a complex archaeon, providing it with a genetic toolkit that enabled the development of the cellular complexity seen in modern eukaryotic cells.]