New Discovery Expands Tree of Life

Abstract Evolution Concept

Scientists have discovered several elusive species of microorganisms.

Scientists have discovered new microscopic species.

Researchers have found a number of very rare species of microorganisms, some of which have never been observed before and others which have eluded the attention of researchers for more than a century.

Professor Genoveva Esteban of Bournemouth University and James Weiss, an independent researcher working in his own lab in Warsaw, Poland, with his two cats, made the discovery of these elusive species and published their findings in the scientific journal Protist.

Their approach to research and the discovery of these new and rare species will aid in the public’s and scientists’ understanding of life at the microscopic level. In addition, they believe it will demonstrate the significance of microscopic life to everyone in the world and inspire thousands of young people to be interested in science.

Legendrea

Legendrea loyezae with trailing tentacles. Credit: Bournemouth University

Microorganisms are at the bottom of the food chain and are made up of just one cell. They exist all around us and may be found in every environment, from little puddles to enormous oceans; there is still much to learn about them.

“Biodiversity at a microscopic level is not as widely understood as other areas of nature, despite the fact that whole ecosystems depend on it,” explained Professor Esteban.

“Some of these species are completely new and others have not been seen for over a century. We documented many curious behaviors on them and carried out a DNA analysis of them for the first time. This means we can understand more about their relationships with other microbes and find new branches for them on the tree of life,” Professor Esteban continued.

The very rare and new microorganisms include Legendrea loyezae.

Apertospathula

Apertospathula, a microbe new to science. Credit: Bournemouth University

Professor Esteban said, “We don’t know what this organism is named after; the 100-plus-years-old French description doesn’t include the origin of the name but we suspect that it was after a person since “Legendre” is a common French surname.”

They have also discovered, a new Lacerus, meaning “having irregular edges” due to the serrated appearance of the cell edges, as well as a new Apertospathula, meaning “ventral mouth opening”.

The new species have not been assigned names yet, but Weiss is hoping to name them with contemporary fictional references that will attract the attention of people of all ages.

“Most organisms on the tree of life are microscopic. In fact, most life on Earth has always been microscopic. Microorganisms were the first predators on Earth, their greedy appetites were one of the leading factors of the evolution of more complex life in the early ages of Earth,” Weiss explained.

Lacerus

A new Lacerus with a serrated cell edge. Credit: Bournemouth University

“As prey developed better defenses, predators needed to develop better ways of catching them. After the evolution of multicellular, complex life they became the main food source for others such as krill and plankton, which in turn are food for larger species. If the organisms at the very bottom were removed, all other parts of the food chain above them would collapse too,” he added.

The duo worked together for the course of eighteen months, and investigated thousands of samples from water bodies, mainly from Poland, but also all over the world.

“We knew that no one else would be looking for these and no other research into microbes has involved such intensive searching,” said Professor Esteban.

“As with all forms of wildlife spotting, the more you look, the more you find. By taking so many samples, almost every day, we knew we could find something new. The more we know about the microscopic world, the more we can learn about the rest of their habitats where all other forms of life survive.”

After isolating the microorganisms in each sample, they were able to study their DNA and identify those that were new to science and others which were extremely rare, and they needed a specialist. Dr. Demetra Andreou, a molecular ecologist at Bournemouth University also brought her expertise to the team.

Reference: “The Extraordinarily Rare Ciliate Legendrea loyezae Fauré-Fremiet, 1908 (Haptoria, Ciliophora)” by James Weiss, Demetra Andreou and Genoveva F. Esteban, 12 October 2022, Protist.
DOI: 10.1016/j.protis.2022.125912

41 Comments on "New Discovery Expands Tree of Life"

  1. There is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:8-10

  2. And yet a viable fetus isn’t a human?
    Y’all need to pull your head out of your anal orifice.

  3. YolandaJibbaJabba | October 26, 2022 at 12:33 pm | Reply

    Don’t tell Fauci, he’ll do gain of function and leak it out of a lab.

  4. These evolutionary myth scientists get wackier and wackier. It’s no wonder they’ve foisted scamdemics on the world.

  5. Whisperin Pints | October 26, 2022 at 1:26 pm | Reply

    John Fetterman should debate one.

    • Fetterman won’t…he’s concerned he would lose.

      • So strange to see people compare a single cell organism to abortion. I doubt many of those that make such comments think about eating meat or plants although those are alive, a fetus isn’t sentient. Also “pro-lifers” care little about life once it’s outside the womb.

        • The part about not caring once outside the womb is just regurgitated democrat propaganda. You should try thinking/investigating for yourself to see how many are waiting to adopt.

          To see how democrats support people outside the womb you only have to look at how democrats are:
          letting homeless wreck cities, hurting both the homeless and others,
          letting woke teachers destroy the education opportunities for kids,
          supporting Biden’s economy wrecking inflation and high gas prices, which doesn’t hurt rich democrat donors but can destroy middle and low income families.

          Think for yourself. God gave a mind and the freedom to use it.

        • the theory goes that
          fetus under go
          imaginative fratalization
          as pretraining for their
          inner eyes and visual one.
          This could be why people are quick
          to recognize shapes of all sorts,
          they imagined them while they were
          developing in the womb…the question now is
          how to measure fetus’ brainwave in vitro

        • Whisperin Pints | October 27, 2022 at 11:21 am | Reply

          You infer that John Fetterman is an abortion, and I have to agree. That’s why his parents hid him in their basement for 50 years. He’ll be home again soon.

        • I believe matters happen fast – a zygote, an embryo, a fetus and further so till birth. In a developing embryo, the heart has developed enough by day 21 post-fertilization to begin beating. There is blood and God’s Word calls it life.

          Read for yourself! Right here…

          NASB 1995 Leviticus 17:11
          ‘For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.’

          So it’s just a short amount of time that the unborn child is sentient.

        • So, it’s just a short amount of time that the unborn child is sentient sucking her/his thumb.

  6. “Scientists Discover New Microscopic Species”
    —DON’T GET TOO EXCITED, FOLKS. IT’S JUST THE BRAIN OF A LIBERAL…SOMETHING ALL SANE, RATIONAL PEOPLE ALREADY KNOW !!!!!

  7. So there is life in a Life just like the Ancient scriptures.

  8. These are the same microscopic creatures in the c0vid vaxx. We’ve known about them for months.

  9. (((Weiss))) Every single time

  10. Although it may help to get him published, there is literally zero evidence that predation leads to anything other than rapid adaptation, not more complex organisms with additional genes to hang on the family tree. It is a thinly veiled demonstration of an ulterior motive. Whatever breakthrough discoveries he has made will be forever tainted by his irresponsible and careless attitude in his unsubstantiated conclusions.

  11. One cannot make a new species because new info doesn’t pop out of thin air into already existing DNA. It’s a lie promoted by the religious obsession with Darwin. Give it up, because evolution is dead on arrival.

  12. Xiharra Molotovo | October 26, 2022 at 10:15 pm | Reply

    Dang, this really brought the deniers out of the woodwork…
    Chill guys, you’re not convincing anyone of anything but your own stubbornness.

  13. Could these be what turns low-brows onto nazis?

  14. “All things seen were made by things unseen ” Saul of Tarsus 80 ad

  15. David Hutchinson | October 27, 2022 at 3:15 am | Reply

    GOD created microbial life that evolved into humans. GOD gave man a brain to do scientific work and observations that affect our very lives today. Only Ignorant hyper religious Trump supporters and Conspiracy Theorists want to believe a great blue eyed white GOD came down and anointed the earth with a Garden of Eden that became the home of one fully formed white man. You Idiot, there was no Garden of Eden and no singular white man that bought forth the human race. It’s a lie, a fallacy. The Bible is a book of Fairy Tales.

  16. Dear SciTech, you could study the responents DNA to see if evolution is still working…

  17. Some commenters. If not interested in science, why do you go to science articles, just to troll? Your comments show you just want to attack people & push your values on other people. Get a clue. You would get upset if I forced my values on you. BTW science & religion can coexist. It is not a war.

    • Whisperin Pints | October 27, 2022 at 11:36 am | Reply

      Proof that they can coexist:
      Georges Henri Joseph Eduard Lemaitre, theoretical physicist, mathematician, astronomer and professor of physics, “father of The Big Bang theory”, friend and colleague of Albert Einstein. Fr. Lemaitre was notably a BELGIAN CATHOLIC PRIEST.

  18. I don’t need to comment other than applaud the great observations before me. Leftist lunacy.

  19. Or, idk maybe just read the article andcomment on it’s actual content?!? 🤦‍♀️

  20. Or, idk maybe just read the article and comment on it’s actual content?!? 🤦‍♀️ Gee folks, there are other places to exacerbate. Ever heard of FB, twtiter? I feel these are more your natural medium. 😁👍

  21. Red Pill Mama nailed it! 💙

  22. You guys seriously need a moderator that deleted the Neo Confederate Christian Nationalists and Creationist stooges and the Heartland Institute, Discovery Institute propaganda trolls and their hatred of American and European science while sitting in daddies basement using mommies laptop posting on a science site…sad life’s these people have.

  23. Oh, “expanding the Tree of Life”, are we?
    Is there another superphylum now? Non-anti-post-eukareotes?
    By a social analogy: the branch of scribes begot a branch of journalists, which begot a branch of science “explainers”, which has popped up a twig of “pop-sci sensationalists”, and now is growing a lively pip of “idiocracy Brawndo thinkers”?
    Is the last “an expansion”? Yes, it is.

  24. People love to argue apples vs. oranges when the real problem is bananas.

  25. Evolution is the biggest lie perpetrated on mankind. It’s still just a theory, but taught as fact. 🙄

  26. Life is precious! So let’s care about that and we will make sure to be there for you and your family and friends.

  27. No one says that a human zygote is not human tissue. The argument is that it is not a person.
    You misunderstand which is why you can be so dismissive.

  28. This is about a tree bacterial supplement that can help trees grow. At this point any comparison would be on the level of calling the probiotics in yogurt human.

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