Bacteria Study Shoots Down ‘Simple Cell’ Assumptions

Bacteria Study Shoots Down ‘Simple Cell’ Assumptions

Jan 09

If life evolved from non-life through natural processes, then the organism most likely to resemble the first living cell would probably be the parasitic bacteria of the genus Mycoplasma. It has very little DNA and contains only a small number of proteins, and yet is a functional organism. This “primitive” cell, however, is proving to be anything but simple.