Scientists have caught a once-in-a-billion-years evolutionary event in progress, as two lifeforms have merged into one organism that boasts abilities its peers would envy. Last time this happened (1.6 billion years ago), certain advanced cells absorbed a type of bacteria that could harvest energy from sunlight. These became organelles called chloroplasts, which gave sunlight-harvesting abilities, as well as a fetching green color, to a group of lifeforms you might have heard of – plants.

And now, scientists have discovered that it’s happening again. A species of algae called Braarudosphaera bigelowii was found to have engulfed a cyanobacterium that lets them do something that algae, and plants in general, can’t normally do – "fixing" nitrogen straight from the air, and combining it with other elements to create more useful compounds.

you are viewing a single comment's thread
view the rest of the comments

[–] Fedizen 12 points 7 months ago* (last edited 7 months ago) (1 children)

Its probably very common. I would suspect its happened before and the larger barrier is unicellular to multicellular life.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 7 months ago

i'm guessing the generic is very common, but the specific event here is very rare. Like a unix time party for instance.