‘We’re All Asgardians’: New Clues about the Origin of Complex Life

June 14, 2023 • by Marc Airhart

All complex life, a.k.a. eukaryotes, trace their roots to a common Asgard archaean ancestor.

An evolutionary tree shows how eukaryotes are related to various species of microbes known as Asgard archaea

According to this latest study, all complex life forms (a.k.a. eukaryotes) trace their roots back to a common ancestor among a group of microbes called the Asgard archaea. Illustration credit: University of Texas at Austin.


A white submersible sits on the deck of a research ship as red and orange clouds over the sea and on the horizon foretell the rising sun

Some of the microbes analyzed for this study were collected using the Alvin deep-sea submersible, seen here on a collection trip in the Guaymas Basin in November 2018. Photo credit: Brett Baker.

A new evolutionary tree shows where complex life, a.k.a. eukaryotes, fit in amongst the other main branches of life, the archaea and bacteria

According to this latest study, all complex life forms (a.k.a. eukaryotes) trace their roots back to a common ancestor among a group of microbes called the Asgard archaea. Illustration credit: University of Texas at Austin.

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