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March 2017

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Three-Dimensional Preservation of Cellular and Subcellular Structures Suggests 1.6 Billion-Year-Old Crown-Group Red Algae
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The last common ancestor of modern eukaryotes is generally believed to have lived during the Mesoproterozoic era, about 1.6 to 1 billion years ago, or possibly somewhat earlier. This study by Bengtson et al. reveals the presence of two types of proposed red alga embedded amid cyanobacterial mats from 1.6 billion-year-old sediments found in Chitrakoot, India. These fossils predate the previously earliest accepted red algae by about 400 million years, suggesting that eukaryotes may have a longer history than commonly assumed. The image shows a false-colored X-ray microtomographic picture of the thread-like fossil red alga Rafatazmia chitrakootensis. Each well-preserved cell contains a rhombic platelet (bright green) assumed to belong to the photosynthesising apparatus. The filament shown here is about 0.5 mm long.

Image Credit: Stefan Bengtson

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PLOS Biology 2016 Reviewer and Editorial Board Thank You

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