Rare Evolutionary Event: Two Lifeforms Merge to Create a Single Organism through Primary Endosymbiosis

A fascinating evolutionary event has occurred for the first time in a billion years, as two lifeforms have merged to form a single organism through primary endosymbiosis. This phenomenon has only happened twice in Earth’s history, with the first instance resulting in the emergence of mitochondria and the second leading to the development of plants.

An international team of scientists has recently observed this process happening between a species of algae and a bacterium commonly found in the ocean. Tyler Coale, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of California, Santa Cruz, led one of two recent studies that uncovered this remarkable phenomenon. In this case, the algae engulfs the bacterium, providing it with nutrients, energy, and protection in exchange for new functions. The bacterium becomes an organelle within the algae, essential for its functioning.

This discovery offers new insights into evolution and has significant implications for agriculture. Dr. Coale believes that this system could provide a new perspective on nitrogen fixation and be engineered into crop plants. The research papers were published in scientific journals Science and Cell, with scientists from institutions such as MIT, UCSF, and Kochi University in Japan contributing to the studies.