Jove
Visualize
Contact Us
JoVE
x logofacebook logolinkedin logoyoutube logo
ABOUT JoVE
OverviewLeadershipBlogJoVE Help Center
AUTHORS
Publishing ProcessEditorial BoardScope & PoliciesPeer ReviewFAQSubmit
LIBRARIANS
TestimonialsSubscriptionsAccessResourcesLibrary Advisory BoardFAQ
RESEARCH
JoVE JournalMethods CollectionsJoVE Encyclopedia of ExperimentsArchive
EDUCATION
JoVE CoreJoVE BusinessJoVE Science EducationJoVE Lab ManualFaculty Resource CenterFaculty Site
Terms & Conditions of Use
Privacy Policy
Policies

Related Experiment Videos

Interpreting the universal phylogenetic tree.

C R Woese1

  • 1Department of Microbiology, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, B103 Chemical and Life Sciences Laboratory, MC-110, 601 South Goodwin Avenue, Urbana, IL 61801-3709, USA. carl@ninja.life.uiuc.edu

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America
|July 19, 2000
PubMed
Summary
This summary is machine-generated.

Related Concept Videos

You might also read

Related Articles

Articles linked to this work by shared authors, journal, and citation graph.

Sort by
Same author

Phylogenetic measurement in procaryotes by primary structural characterization.

Journal of molecular evolution·2013
Same author

A Phylogenetic Analysis of Lactobacilli, Pediococcus pentosaceus and Leuconostoc mesenteroides.

Systematic and applied microbiology·2012
Same author

Translation: in retrospect and prospect.

RNA (New York, N.Y.)·2001
Same author

Rhodoferax antarcticus sp. nov., a moderately psychrophilic purple nonsulfur bacterium isolated from an Antarctic microbial mat.

Archives of microbiology·2000
Same author

An archaeal genomic signature.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2000
Same author

Aminoacyl-tRNA synthetases, the genetic code, and the evolutionary process.

Microbiology and molecular biology reviews : MMBR·2000
Same journal

Tau protein as a regulator of mitochondrial function and dynamics.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

A scalable, dividing cell model for the robust propagation and quantification of human sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prions.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Epigenetic regulation of mesenchymal BMP signaling directs postnatal organ innervation.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Single-shot wide-field biochemical imaging at 1 kHz frame rate.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

Morphogenesis and topological evolution of a frustrated nematic liquid crystal under confinement.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
Same journal

B cell-intrinsic CXCR3 drives efficient generation of ectopic pulmonary germinal center responses to influenza A virus infection.

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America·2026
See all related articles

The universal phylogenetic tree reveals early life evolved before modern cells, with horizontal gene transfer shaping primitive entities. Stability allowed true organismal lineages to emerge at the tree

Area of Science:

  • Evolutionary biology
  • Origin of life studies
  • Genomics

Background:

  • The universal phylogenetic tree encompasses all life, with its earliest stages predating modern cell types.
  • Cellular evolution involves both vertical inheritance and horizontal gene acquisition.
  • Early cellular entities were simpler and more modular than contemporary cells.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate the role of horizontal gene transfer in early cellular evolution.
  • To understand the conditions necessary for the emergence of stable organismal lineages.

Main Methods:

  • Phylogenetic analysis of extant life.
  • Comparative genomics of primitive cellular features.
  • Modeling of early evolutionary dynamics.
Keywords:
NASA Discipline ExobiologyNon-NASA Center

Related Experiment Videos

Main Results:

  • Horizontal gene transfer was a dominant force in early evolution.
  • Primitive cells were highly susceptible to horizontal gene transfer.
  • The root of the phylogenetic tree signifies the onset of stable cellular evolution.

Conclusions:

  • Early cellular evolution was characterized by pervasive horizontal gene transfer.
  • The development of cellular stability was crucial for the establishment of distinct lineages.
  • Understanding early evolution provides insights into the fundamental processes of life's diversification.