Over a billion years ago, one type of bacteria ate another – or - TopicsExpress



          

Over a billion years ago, one type of bacteria ate another – or tried to. Surviving this ordeal, the prey became a permanent house guest in the wet, sheltered, food-rich environment of the predator’s body. Like an internal battery, the smaller bacteria adapted to turn food and oxygen into chemical energy for the larger one. Eventually, by swapping segments of DNA, the two bacteria merged into a single, inseparable, complex cell. This ultimate partnership is the ancestor of all multicellular life, including our own species. These mitochondrial descendants of bacterial ancestors power each and every cell in our bodies.
Posted on: Mon, 16 Sep 2013 05:04:34 +0000

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