Using bioinformatics, biochemistry, NMR, as well as the newly characterized enzyme ArmA from methanogenic archaea, we revised the existing knowledge on archaeal peptidoglycan structure. At the same ti...

The amoeba Incendiamoeba cascadensis demonstrates that eukaryotic life can withstand temperatures beyond what was thought possible and sheds light on molecular strategies for survival in extreme heat.

Researchers are racing to culture a menagerie of exotic organisms and finding lots of surprises along the way.

Many prokaryotes are diderms. They divide using an FtsZ division ring to simultaneously constrict physically coupled inner and outer membranes to form daughter cells with two membranes. Currently, onl...

A groundbreaking study hints at a hazy boundary between “life” and “non-life,” as well as two distinct origins of biology on Earth

In homologous recombination, DNA repair depends on recombinase filaments finding homologous templates on chromosomes whose topology is continually remodeled by replication and transcription. How dynam...

The emergence of the eukaryotes coincided with the diversification of histone proteins and their post-translational modifications by enzymes that constitute the core of eukaryotic chromatin. Yet the e...

Cellular metabolism is widely understood as an integrated network of redox reactions, energy conservation, and biosynthetic pathways. Here we show that across diverse prokaryotic lineages, loss of red...

What electron microscope images hint at, but can only be seen in videos: how 'Asgard' archaea move.

How a discovery in the 1970s changed the theory of the origin of complex life on earth.

Asgard archaea are considered the closest prokaryotic relatives of eukaryotes and having a crucial role in eukaryogenesis. Only few organisms have been cultivated from this group and their viruses were previously described only through metagenomic reconstructions. Here, we report the first successful cultivation of an Asgard archaeal virus infecting a novel strain of Ca. Lokiarchaeum ossiferum B36. The 16 kbp integrated provirus is capable to excise and replicate independently leading to the formation of virus particles. Network analysis of shared protein clusters with other archaeal viruses places it in a new family, Fylgjaviridae . The host encodes a distinctive repertoire of antiviral defense systems, including Septu, Wadjet, and type II CBASS system, all different from the defense systems of the related strain Ca. L. ossiferum B35. Our cultures provide the first opportunity to study interactions of a virus-host system in Asgards and hold significant potential for developing genetic tools. ### Competing Interest Statement The authors have declared no competing interest. FWF Austrian Science Fund, 10.55776/EFP25, Z437 European Research Council, Advanced Grant #695192: TACKLE Max Planck Society, https://ror.org/01hhn8329

How did eukaryotic cells with complex architecture evolve from simpler prokaryotic cells? DNA analyses offer possible answers.

Crawling motility is a hallmark of eukaryotic cells and requires a dynamic actin cytoskeleton, regulated adhesion, and spatially organized signalling pathways1–3. Asgard archaea (phylum Promethearchae...

In 1977, Woese and colleagues revealed Archaea as a distinct domain of life. Building on this insight, the discovery of Asgard archaea has strengthened the view that many hallmarks of eukaryotic cell…

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Crawling motility is a hallmark of eukaryotic cells and requires a dynamic actin cytoskeleton, regulated adhesion, and spatially organized signalling pathways1–3. Asgard archaea (phylum Promethearchae...