All hail Canada - we have a new kingdom of life - make way for the Hemimastigotes
Apparently these very early forms of life, are eukaryotes.This means that unlike bacteria, they have complex cells that contain specialized organelles.
However, hemimastigotes lack mitochondria.
In response to: Rare microbes lead scientists to discover new branch on the tree of life.
Hemimastigotes are more different from all other living things than animals are from fungi
Emily Chung · CBC News · Posted: Nov 15, 2018 3:40 PM ET | Last Updated: November 16
Canadian researchers have discovered a new kind of organism that's so different from other living things that it doesn't fit into the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom, or any other kingdom used to classify known organisms.
Two species of the microscopic organisms, called hemimastigotes, were found in dirt collected on a whim during a hike in Nova Scotia by Dalhousie University graduate student Yana Eglit.
A genetic analysis shows they're more different from other organisms than animals and fungi (which are in different kingdoms) are from each other, representing a completely new part of the tree of life, Eglit and her colleagues report this week in the journal Nature.
"They represent a major branch… that we didn't know we were missing," said Dalhousie biology professor Alastair Simpson, Eglit's supervisor and co-author of the new study.
"There's nothing we know that's closely related to them."
In fact, he estimates you'd have to go back a billion years — about 500 million years before the first animals arose — before you could find a common ancestor of hemimastigotes and any other known living things.
The hemimastigotes analyzed by the Dalhousie team were found by Eglit during a spring hike with some other students along the Bluff Wilderness Trail outside Halifax a couple of years ago. She often has empty sample vials in her pockets or bags, and scooped a few tablespoons of dirt into one of them from the side of the trail.
Back at the lab, she soaked the soil in water, which often revives microbes that have gone dormant, waiting for the next big rainstorm. Over the next few weeks, she checked on the dish through a microscope to see what might be swimming around.
Then, one day, about three weeks later, she saw something that caught her eye — something shaped like the partially opened shell of a pistachio. It had lots of hairs, called flagella, sticking out. Most knomicrobes with lots of flagella move them in co-ordinated waves, but not this one, which waved them in a more random fashion.
"It's as if these cells never really learned that they have many flagella," Eglit said with a laugh. She had seen something with that strange motion once before, a few years ago, and recognized it as a rare hemimastigote.
Hemimastigotes were first seen and described in the 19th century. But at that time, no one could figure out how they fit into the evolutionary tree of life. Consequently, they've been "a tantalizing mystery" to microbiologists for quite a long time, Eglit said.
Like animals, plants, fungi and ameobas — but unlike bacteria — hemimastigotes have complex cells with mini-organs called organelles, making them part of the "domain" of organisms called eukaryotes rather than bacteria or archaea.
About 10 species of hemimastigotes have been described over more than 100 years. But up until now, no one had been able to do a genetic analysis to see how they were related to other living things.......
Hemimastigotes are more different from all other living things than animals are from fungi
Emily Chung · CBC News · Posted: Nov 15, 2018 3:40 PM ET | Last Updated: November 16
Canadian researchers have discovered a new kind of organism that's so different from other living things that it doesn't fit into the plant kingdom, the animal kingdom, or any other kingdom used to classify known organisms.
Two species of the microscopic organisms, called hemimastigotes, were found in dirt collected on a whim during a hike in Nova Scotia by Dalhousie University graduate student Yana Eglit.
A genetic analysis shows they're more different from other organisms than animals and fungi (which are in different kingdoms) are from each other, representing a completely new part of the tree of life, Eglit and her colleagues report this week in the journal Nature.
"They represent a major branch… that we didn't know we were missing," said Dalhousie biology professor Alastair Simpson, Eglit's supervisor and co-author of the new study.
"There's nothing we know that's closely related to them."
In fact, he estimates you'd have to go back a billion years — about 500 million years before the first animals arose — before you could find a common ancestor of hemimastigotes and any other known living things.
The hemimastigotes analyzed by the Dalhousie team were found by Eglit during a spring hike with some other students along the Bluff Wilderness Trail outside Halifax a couple of years ago. She often has empty sample vials in her pockets or bags, and scooped a few tablespoons of dirt into one of them from the side of the trail.
Back at the lab, she soaked the soil in water, which often revives microbes that have gone dormant, waiting for the next big rainstorm. Over the next few weeks, she checked on the dish through a microscope to see what might be swimming around.
Then, one day, about three weeks later, she saw something that caught her eye — something shaped like the partially opened shell of a pistachio. It had lots of hairs, called flagella, sticking out. Most knomicrobes with lots of flagella move them in co-ordinated waves, but not this one, which waved them in a more random fashion.
"It's as if these cells never really learned that they have many flagella," Eglit said with a laugh. She had seen something with that strange motion once before, a few years ago, and recognized it as a rare hemimastigote.
Hemimastigotes were first seen and described in the 19th century. But at that time, no one could figure out how they fit into the evolutionary tree of life. Consequently, they've been "a tantalizing mystery" to microbiologists for quite a long time, Eglit said.
Like animals, plants, fungi and ameobas — but unlike bacteria — hemimastigotes have complex cells with mini-organs called organelles, making them part of the "domain" of organisms called eukaryotes rather than bacteria or archaea.
About 10 species of hemimastigotes have been described over more than 100 years. But up until now, no one had been able to do a genetic analysis to see how they were related to other living things.......
For a fuller story and electron microscopic images of the beasts go to the following link;
Comments (16)
The blogs I do regarding Trump are either comedic, or informative, not hateful.
Indeed, they often stand in opposition to the hate & divisiveness that Trump encourages
and the ridiculously inaccurate Trump rah rah blogs. Perhaps you don't, but I like to see balance & truth.
Yes many people dislike /like Trump however you seem to be the town crier it must be tough having that much bitterness within..........
I wish greener pastures for you.....
Apparently, you misunderstand what THIS blog is about.
If you want to spread your hate for my Trump associated blogs,
at least have the courtesy to place your ridiculous objections on THOSE blogs.
As you pointed out, this blog has nothing to do with those blogs.
If you are capable of offering something intelligent in regard to THIS blog,
you are welcome to do so.
If you persist in simply spreading hate on this blog, that has nothing to do with this blog,
your future hate filled responses will be deleted. Your choice.
A Science blog deflected into a Politics blog...
I HATE when that happens
Was not I.
Nor I, bear