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Related Experiment Video

Updated: Jun 16, 2026

Adaptation at the Extremes of Life: Experimental Evolution with the Extremophile Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

Adaptation at the Extremes of Life: Experimental Evolution with the Extremophile Archaeon Sulfolobus acidocaldarius

Published on: June 14, 2024

Metabolic and microbial perspectives on the "evolution of evolution".

Russell Powell¹, Maureen A O'Malley²

¹Department of Philosophy, Boston University, Boston, Massachusetts.

Journal of Experimental Zoology. Part B, Molecular and Developmental Evolution

|September 19, 2019

Summary

Major evolutionary transitions, like the evolution of sex, are key to understanding life's history. This study critiques existing theories and proposes a new framework emphasizing metabolism and microbial roles.

Keywords:

competition macroevolution major transitions metabolism microbial evolution sex

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Last Updated: Jun 16, 2026

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Area of Science:

Evolutionary biology
History of life

Background:

Theorizing major transitions in evolution is crucial for understanding life's history.
Bonner's framework identifies key transitions like sex, multicellularity, and nervous systems as enabling the "evolution of evolution."

Purpose of the Study:

Critique existing theories on major evolutionary transitions.
Identify limitations in current frameworks, such as implicit progressivism and theoretical disunity.
Propose a new perspective incorporating neglected factors.

Main Methods:

Contextualizing Bonner's framework within existing literature.
Identifying problems in prevailing theories.
Proposing a "horizontal" dimension focusing on metabolism and microbial innovations.

Main Results:

Existing theories on major evolutionary transitions suffer from implicit progressivism and theoretical disunity.
Current frameworks have limited ability to explain major evolutionary transformations.
A "horizontal" dimension, including metabolism and microbial innovations, offers a more comprehensive explanation.

Conclusions:

Major transitions in evolution require a broader theoretical scope.
Metabolism and microbial innovations are central to understanding the broad-scale organization of life.
A "horizontal" perspective complements the "vertical" focus on replication and morphology.