One time event:eukaryotic cell from prokaryotsl?

[SW VandeCarr]

The linked abstract from a recent article in Nature suggests that eukaryotic cells evolved form prokaryotes in a one time event and that prokaryotes show no tendency to evolve toward greater complexity. This would suggest that complex terrestrial type life forms might be extremely rare in the universe. I don't have free access to the full paper. I wonder if someone who does can comment on it.

http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v467/n7318/full/nature09486.html

 

[madcat8000]

How interesting, if we don't have an answer by then i think ill buy that article when i get paid.

 

[SW VandeCarr]

How interesting, if we don't have an answer by then i think ill buy that article when i get paid.

Well thank you, but buy it for own interest. I have bought articles on occasion and have several subscriptions, but the typical 30 plus dollar charge makes buying every article that interests me a bit expensive and annoying since most of the research is paid for by taxpayers. It's over 170 km for me to the nearest medical/science library, so I check out some articles about once a month or so if I can't find them online.

If anyone has access to this full article, I would just like to hear they're ideas.

 

[SW VandeCarr]

This article in New Scientist gives more detail. Although NS is not always the best source of information, the original Nature article to which it refers should meet the standards of PF. Still,.any contribution regarding the original full article would be appreciated.

http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn18734-why-complex-life-probably-evolved-only-once.html

 

[madcat8000]

You do know that Nick Lane is an author who has written a book about this?

https://www.amazon.com/dp/0192804812/?tag=pfamazon01-20

If there's anything at all new in that paper its probably a method of action that informs his theory on why bacterial genomes are limited by the time and energy it takes to copy them. His pet theory states that if a bacterial species arose with a large complex genome that it would be out competed by faster breeders. However once a methogen had incorperated a bacterial helper that gave it more energy it could phagocytize its competition and was immune from them. Its a modification of the Hydrogen hypothsis.