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Review
. 2014 Jun;12(6):449-55.
doi: 10.1038/nrmicro3271. Epub 2014 May 12.

The hybrid nature of the Eukaryota and a consilient view of life on Earth

James O McInerney  1 , Mary J O'Connell  2 , Davide Pisani  3
Affiliations
Review

The hybrid nature of the Eukaryota and a consilient view of life on Earth

James O McInerney et al. Nat Rev Microbiol. 2014 Jun.

Abstract

The origin of the eukaryotic cell, which is known as eukaryogenesis, has puzzled scientists for more than 100 years, and many hypotheses have been proposed. Recent analyses of new data enable the safe elimination of some of these hypotheses, whereas support for other hypotheses has increased. In this Opinion article, we evaluate the available theories for their compatibility with empirical observations and conclude that cellular life consists of two primary, paraphyletic prokaryotic groups and one secondary, monophyletic group that has symbiogenic origins - the eukaryotes.

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