ERC Starting Grant · 2025
Asgard Archaea and Earth's Oxygenation: Uncovering Key Aspects of Eukaryogenesis
Many aspects of life's evolutionary history remain poorly understood, such as the emergence of complex eukaryotic life. The recent discovery of Asgard archaea in anoxic sediments has provided fundamental insights into this process due to their phylogenetic proximity to eukaryotes and their eukaryote-like protein repertoire. The cultivation of the first two anaerobic organisms from this group, both belonging to the Lokiarchaeia, provided support for their role in eukaryogenesis, especially with the detection of a eukaryote-like actin cytoskeleton. Despite these advances, there are still many unanswered questions, such as what was the environmental context of this process, especially…
From the public funding record at EU CORDIS. Describes the funded project, not the reviews below.