logo
welcome
The Conversation

The Conversation

Were viruses around on Earth before living cells emerged? A microbiologist explains

The Conversation
Summary
Nutrition label

83% Informative

Fossils provide important evidence about the evolution of plants and animals.

But there are very few fossils of ancient microbes available, so scientists rely on modern microbes to devise theories about how life started.

Bacteria and archaea are single-celled creatures that lack internal membrane-enclosed structures, like a nucleus.

We won’t be able to answer every question, but we will do our best. This article is republished from The Conversation , a nonprofit, independent news organization bringing you facts and trustworthy analysis to help you make sense of our complex world. It was written by: Kenneth Noll , University of Connecticut Read more: Kenneth Noll previously received funding from NSF , NASA , DOE and the Office of Naval Research ..

VR Score

82

Informative language

79

Neutral language

51

Article tone

informal

Language

English

Language complexity

50

Offensive language

not offensive

Hate speech

not hateful

Attention-grabbing headline

not detected

Known propaganda techniques

not detected

Time-value

long-living

External references

26

https://theconversation.com/ancient-microbial-life-used-arsenic-to-thrive-in-a-world-without-oxygen-146533https://bio.libretexts.org/Courses/University_of_California_Davis/BIS_2A%3A_Introductory_Biology_(Easlon)/Readings/02.2%3A_Bacterial_and_Archaeal_Diversityhttp://theconversation.com/us?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=related-link&utm_campaign=related-link-0&utm_content=article-197880https://theconversation.com/us/topics/curious-kids-us-74795https://doi.org/10.3390/life11080795https://www.gettyimages.com/detail/illustration/eukaryotic-vs-prokaryotic-cells-educational-royalty-free-illustration/1201105509https://doi.org/10.1016/j.biochi.2005.03.015https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/11/221107135817.htmhttps://news.ncbs.res.in/research/unravelling-origin-lifehttps://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2002.1183https://www.the-scientist.com/news-opinion/microbial-fossils-found-in-3-4-billion-year-old-subseafloor-rock-68975https://microbiologysociety.org/publication/past-issues/what-is-life/article/are-viruses-alive-what-is-life.htmlhttps://www.chemistryworld.com/features/hydrothermal-vents-and-the-origins-of-life/3007088.articlehttp://theconversation.com/humans-evolved-with-their-microbiomes-like-genes-your-gut-microbes-pass-from-one-generation-to-the-next-190713?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=related-link&utm_campaign=related-link2&utm_content=article-197880https://www.khanacademy.org/test-prep/mcat/cells/viruses/a/are-viruses-dead-or-alivehttps://www.genome.gov/genetics-glossary/Virushttps://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-connecticut-1342?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=related-link&utm_campaign=byline-link&utm_content=article-197880https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/bacteria/bacteriafr.htmlhttp://www.biologyaspoetry.com/textbooks/microbes_and_evolution/symbioses_serial_endosymbiosis.htmlhttps://eos.org/science-updates/rethinking-the-search-for-the-origins-of-lifehttps://www.gettyimages.com/detail/photo/stromatolites-found-by-the-ottawa-river-rock-royalty-free-image/1176691303http://theconversation.com/researchers-identified-over-5-500-new-viruses-in-the-ocean-including-a-missing-link-in-viral-evolution-180545?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=related-link&utm_campaign=related-link1&utm_content=article-197880https://theconversation.com/profiles/kenneth-noll-1407413?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=related-link&utm_campaign=byline-link&utm_content=article-197880https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=pN5i54IAAAAJ&hl=enhttp://theconversation.com/water-was-both-essential-and-a-barrier-to-early-life-on-earth-microdroplets-are-one-potential-solution-to-this-paradox-192710?utm_source=Yahoo&utm_medium=related-link&utm_campaign=related-link0&utm_content=article-197880https://newsroom.ucla.edu/releases/life-on-earth-likely-started-at-least-4-1-billion-years-ago-much-earlier-than-scientists-had-thought

Affiliate links

no affiliate links