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Science 19 May 2006:
Vol. 312. no. 5776, p. 969
DOI: 10.1126/science.312.5776.969g
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The origins of eukaryotes remain controversial and somewhat enigmatic. Kurland et al. (p. 1011) provide a counterpoint to current models in which the eukaryotic cell is derived from structurally and genetically less complex prokaryotic cells. On the basis of genomic and proteomic evidence, they suggest that the essence of eukaryotic cellular complexity existed in the common ancestor of eucarya, bacteria, and archaea, and that the bacteria and archaea have evolved by genome reduction driven by specialization for fast growth and cell division and/or adaptation to extreme environments.




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Science. ISSN 0036-8075 (print), 1095-9203 (online)