A newly discovered organism, named Sukunaarchaeum mirabile, has scientists questioning the definition of life. Unlike viruses, which outsource many functions to their hosts, this microbe can create its own ribosomes and RNA, but it also relies heavily on its host for metabolic processes. The genome of Sukunaarchaeum is surprisingly small, containing only 238,000 base pairs, making it one of the smallest known genomes among archaea.
Researchers in Canada and Japan identified the organism while studying the bacterial genome of a marine plankton. The discovery challenges traditional notions of cellular life and highlights the complexity of life’s boundaries. Sukunaarchaeum’s unique features make it a fascinating example of biological novelty, pushing scientists to reevaluate their understanding of cellular evolution and the definition of life.
The discovery was made by a team led by molecular biologist Ryo Harada, who found an unusual DNA sequence that didn’t match any known species. Further analysis revealed that Sukunaarchaeum belongs to the domain Archaea, which is associated with prokaryotic cells but from which eukaryotic cells, including humans, evolved billions of years ago.
The discovery of Sukunaarchaeum has significant implications for our understanding of cellular life and the definition of life. It highlights the vast unexplored biological novelty within microbial interactions and encourages further exploration of symbiotic systems to uncover even more extraordinary life forms.
Source: https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/animals/a65193552/archaea-cell-virus/