Superoxide, O2•−, is formed in all living organisms that come in contact with air, and,
depending upon its biological context, it may act as a signaling agent, a toxic species, or a …

Although of limited metabolic diversity, methanogenic archaea or methanogens possess
great phylogenetic and ecological diversity. Only three types of methanogenic pathways are …

All known life forms trace back to a last universal common ancestor (LUCA) that witnessed
the onset of Darwinian evolution. One can ask questions about LUCA in various ways, the …

In recent years, our understanding of biological nitrogen fixation has been bolstered by a
diverse array of scientific techniques. Still, the origin and extant distribution of nitrogen …

Our intestine is the site of an extraordinarily complex and dynamic environmentally
transmitted consortial symbiosis. The molecular foundations of beneficial symbiotic host …

The Logic of Chance offers a reappraisal and a new synthesis of theories, concepts, and
hypotheses on the key aspects of the evolution of life on earth in light of comparative …

All life is organized as cells. Physical compartmentation from the environment and self–
organization of self–contained redox reactions are the most conserved attributes of living …

Accumulating prokaryotic gene and genome sequences reveal that the exchange of genetic
information through both homology-dependent recombination and horizontal (lateral) gene …

The first bacterial genome was sequenced in 1995, and the first archaeal genome in 1996.
Soon after these breakthroughs, an exponential rate of genome sequencing was …

A common belief is that evolution generally proceeds towards greater complexity at both the
organismal and the genomic level, numerous examples of reductive evolution of parasites …