All extant eukaryotes descend from the last eukaryotic common ancestor (LECA), which is
thought to have featured complex cellular organization. To gain insight into LECA biology …

The recently observed circadian oscillations of the intestinal microbiota underscore the
profound nature of the human–microbiome relationship and its importance for health …

Asgard archaea are considered to be the closest known relatives of eukaryotes. Their
genomes contain hundreds of eukaryotic signature proteins (ESPs), which inspired …

The work of Carl Woese and his colleagues of the Urbana University has been one of the
most important breakthroughs in biology in the last century (for historical sketches, see Refs …

Understanding the adaptation mechanisms of extremophiles to extreme environments is
fundamental to predicting organisms' capacity to survive in space and plan future space …

RNA helicases perform essential housekee** and regulatory functions in all domains of
life by binding and unwinding RNA molecules. The Ski2-like proteins are primordial …

The emergence of thylakoid membranes in cyanobacteria is a key event in the evolution of
all oxygenic photosynthetic cells, from prokaryotes to eukaryotes. Recent analyses show that …

This dissertation investigates the diversity and competition of nucleus-forming jumbo phage.
The first chapter provides a brief history of the discovery of bacteriophages and their early …