Early Microbial Evolution: The Age of Anaerobes

Martin, William F.; Sousa, Filipa L.

doi:10.1101/cshperspect.a018127

Cited by 129Origins and Evolution of LifeProtist diversity and phylogenyMicrobial Community Ecology and Physiology

Early Microbial Evolution: The Age of Anaerobes

Open access

Martin, William F., Sousa, Filipa L.·2016·Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology

DOI 10.1101/cshperspect.a018127PMC PMC4743081

Open this paper in CoChat — free account Open PDF

Abstract

In this article, the term "early microbial evolution" refers to the phase of biological history from the emergence of life to the diversification of the first microbial lineages. In the modern era (since we knew about archaea), three debates have emerged on the subject that deserve discussion: (1) thermophilic origins versus mesophilic origins, (2) autotrophic origins versus heterotrophic origins, and (3) how do eukaryotes figure into early evolution. Here, we revisit those debates from the standpoint of newer data. We also consider the perhaps more pressing issue that molecular phylogenies need to recover anaerobic lineages at the base of prokaryotic trees, because O2 is a product of biological evolution; hence, the first microbes had to be anaerobes. If molecular phylogenies do not recover anaerobes basal, something is wrong. Among the anaerobes, hydrogen-dependent autotrophs--acetogens and methanogens--look like good candidates for the ancestral state of physiology in the bacteria and archaea, respectively. New trees tend to indicate that eukaryote cytosolic ribosomes branch within their archaeal homologs, not as sisters to them and, furthermore tend to root archaea within the methanogens. These are major changes in the tree of life, and open up new avenues of thought. Geochemical methane synthesis occurs as a spontaneous, abiotic exergonic reaction at hydrothermal vents. The overall similarity between that reaction and biological methanogenesis fits well with the concept of a methanogenic root for archaea and an autotrophic origin of microbial physiology.

Integrity signals

Registry

Crossref · 10.1101/cshperspect.a018127

Cites

186 of 186 references verified0 citation errors · 0 not checkable

Statistics

Recomputing p-values needs the paper’s full text.

Claims the paper makes

We couldn’t retrieve this paper’s full text, so its claims and self-check weren’t run. The registry and citation checks still apply.

Claims other papers make about this one

Each is checked against this paper’s own text: does it say what the citing paper says it does?

O2 is a product of cyanobacterial photosynthesis, which was lacking in the environment at the origin of the acetyl-CoA pathway and methanogens >3.5 billion years ago.
“First, O2 is a product of cyanobacterial photosynthesis, which was lacking [89] in the environment at the origin of the acetyl‐CoA pathway and methanogens > 3.5 billion years ago [65, 82].”
From Evidence for corrin biosynthesis in the last universal common ancestor (2025) · cites this paper as [82]
The WLP is the most ancient carbon fixation pathway known.
“its suggested presence in the deep nodes in the tree of life is in agreement with previous work that has pointed out the WLP as the most ancient carbon fixation pathway known (e.g.Ferry and House 2005;Fuchs 2011;Martin and Sousa 2016;Weiss et al. 2016;Camprubi et al. 2017).”
From The Emergence of Life (2019) · cites this paper as Martin and Sousa 2016

Report of the Ad Hoc Committee on Reconciliation of Approaches to Bacterial Systematics
Wayne, L. G., Moore, W. E., Stackebrandt, E. S., Kandler, O., Colwell, R. R., Krichevsky, M. I., Trüper, H. G., Murray, R. G. E., Grimont, P. A. D., Brenner, D. J., et al. (1987) · INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF SYSTEMATIC AND EVOLUTIONARY MICROBIOLOGY · doi:10.1099/00207713-37-4-463 · Cited by 7,338 · see citing works
Towards a natural system of organisms: proposal for the domains Archaea, Bacteria, and Eucarya.
Woese, C. R., Kandler, O., & Wheelis, M. L. (1990) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.87.12.4576 · Cited by 6,128 · see citing works
Brock Biology of Microorganisms
Madigan, M. T., Bender, K. S., Buckley, D. H., Sattley, W. M., & Stahl, D. A. (1996) · Cited by 5,759 · see citing works
Bacterial evolution
Woese, C. R. (1987) · Microbiological Reviews · doi:10.1128/mr.51.2.221-271.1987 · Cited by 5,042 · see citing works
Phylogenetic structure of the prokaryotic domain: The primary kingdoms
Woese, C. R., & Fox, G. E. (1977) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.74.11.5088 · Cited by 4,131 · see citing works
Lateral gene transfer and the nature of bacterial innovation
Ochman, H., Lawrence, J. G., & Groisman, E. A. (2000) · Nature · doi:10.1038/35012500 · Cited by 3,816 · see citing works
A Production of Amino Acids Under Possible Primitive Earth Conditions
Miller, S. L. (1953) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.117.3046.528 · Cited by 3,522 · see citing works
The rise of oxygen in Earth's early ocean and atmosphere
Lyons, T. W., Reinhard, C. T., & Planavsky, N. J. (2014) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature13068 · Cited by 2,810 · cited 1× · see citing works
“But a recent review (Lyons et al. 2014) deals with the topic in what seems to be a fair and open manner.”
Background
Origin of life: The RNA world
Gilbert, W. (1986) · Nature · doi:10.1038/319618a0 · Cited by 2,721 · see citing works
Insights into the phylogeny and coding potential of microbial dark matter
Rinke, C., Schwientek, P., Sczyrba, A., Ivanova, N. N., Anderson, I. J., Cheng, J.-F., Darling, A., Malfatti, S., Swan, B. K., Gies, E. A., et al. (2013) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature12352 · Cited by 2,394 · see citing works
Why genes in pieces?
Gilbert, W. (1978) · Nature · doi:10.1038/271501a0 · Cited by 2,300 · see citing works
Methanogenic archaea: ecologically relevant differences in energy conservation
Thauer, R. K., Kaster, A.-K., Seedorf, H., Buckel, W., & Hedderich, R. (2008) · Nature Reviews Microbiology · doi:10.1038/nrmicro1931 · Cited by 2,184 · see citing works
Hyperthermophilic Enzymes: Sources, Uses, and Molecular Mechanisms for Thermostability
Vieille, C., & Zeikus, G. (2001) · Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews · doi:10.1128/mmbr.65.1.1-43.2001 · Cited by 2,127 · see citing works
The Uncultured Microbial Majority
Rappé, M. S., & Giovannoni, S. J. (2003) · Annual Review of Microbiology · doi:10.1146/annurev.micro.57.030502.090759 · Cited by 2,017 · see citing works
Taxonomic parameters revisited : tarnished gold standards
Stackebrandt, E. (2006) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 1,924 · see citing works
Toward Automatic Reconstruction of a Highly Resolved Tree of Life
Ciccarelli, F. D., Doerks, T., von Mering, C., Creevey, C. J., Snel, B., & Bork, P. (2006) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1123061 · Cited by 1,663 · see citing works
Endosymbiotic gene transfer: organelle genomes forge eukaryotic chromosomes
Timmis, J., Ayliffe, M., Huang, C.-Y., & Martin, W. (2004) · Nature reviews genetics · doi:10.1038/nrg1271 · Cited by 1,553 · see citing works
Self-citation
Complex archaea that bridge the gap between prokaryotes and eukaryotes
Spang, A., Saw, J. H., Jørgensen, S. L., Zaremba-Niedzwiedzka, K., Martijn, J., Lind, A. E., van Eijk, R., Schleper, C., Guy, L., & Ettema, T. J. G. (2015) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature14447 · Cited by 1,324 · see citing works
The energetics of genome complexity.
Lane, N., & Martin, W. (2010) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature09486 · Cited by 1,289 · see citing works
Self-citation
The Hydrogen Hypothesis for the First Eukaryote
Martin, W., & Müller, M. (1998) · Nature · doi:10.1038/32096 · Cited by 1,282 · see citing works
Self-citation
Before enzymes and templates: theory of surface metabolism
Wächtershäuser, G. (1988) · Microbiological Reviews · doi:10.1128/mmbr.52.4.452-484.1988 · Cited by 1,242 · see citing works
Evolutionary analysis of Arabidopsis , cyanobacterial, and chloroplast genomes reveals plastid phylogeny and thousands of cyanobacterial genes in the nucleus
Martin, W., Rujan, T., Richly, E., Hansen, A., Cornelsen, S., Lins, T., Leister, D., Stoebe, B., Hasegawa, M., & Penny, D. (2002) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.182432999 · Cited by 1,178 · cited 1× · see citing works
“That is particularly true in the plant lineage (Martin et al. 2002; Ku et al. 2015).”
BackgroundSelf-citation
An off-axis hydrothermal vent field near the Mid-Atlantic Ridge at 30° N
Party, T. A.-6. S., Kelley, D. S., Karson, J. A., Blackman, D. K., Früh-Green, G. L., Butterfield, D. A., Lilley, M. D., Olson, E. J., Schrenk, M. O., Roe, K. K., et al. (2001) · Nature · doi:10.1038/35084000 · Cited by 1,168 · see citing works
The antiquity of RNA-based evolution.
Joyce, G. F. (2002) · Nature · doi:10.1038/418214a · Cited by 1,070 · see citing works
A Whiff of Oxygen Before the Great Oxidation Event?
Anbar, A. D., Duan, Y., Lyons, T. W., Arnold, G. L., Kendall, B., Creaser, R. A., Kaufman, A. J., Gordon, G. W., Scott, C., Garvin, J., et al. (2007) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1140325 · Cited by 1,024 · see citing works
A phylogeny-driven genomic encyclopaedia of Bacteria and Archaea
Wu, D., Hugenholtz, P., Mavromatis, K., Pukall, R., Dalin, E., Ivanova, N., Kunin, V., Goodwin, L., Wu, M., Tindall, B. J., et al. (2009) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature08656 · Cited by 998 · see citing works
Pyrococcus furiosus sp. nov. represents a novel genus of marine heterotrophic archaebacteria growing optimally at 100�C
Fiala, G., & STETTER, K. O. (1986) · Archives of Microbiology · doi:10.1007/bf00413027 · Cited by 932 · see citing works
The All-Species Living Tree project: A 16S rRNA-based phylogenetic tree of all sequenced type strains
Yarza, P., Richter, M., Peplies, J., Euzéby, J. P., Amann, R., SCHLEIFER, K. H., Ludwig, W., Glöckner, F. O., & Rossello-Mora, R. A. (2008) · Systematic and Applied Microbiology · doi:10.1016/j.syapm.2008.07.001 · Cited by 932 · see citing works
A minimal gene set for cellular life derived by comparison of complete bacterial genomes
Mushegian, A. R., & Koonin, E. V. (1996) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.93.19.10268 · Cited by 916 · see citing works
Evolutionary relationship of archaebacteria, eubacteria, and eukaryotes inferred from phylogenetic trees of duplicated genes.
Iwabe, N., Kuma, K., Hasegawa, M., Osawa, S., & Miyata, T. (1989) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.86.23.9355 · Cited by 902 · see citing works
On the origins of cells: A hypothesis for the evolutionary transitions from abiotic geochemistry to chemoautotrophic prokaryotes, and from prokaryotes to nucleated cells
Martin, W., & Russell, M. J. (2003) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2002.1183 · Cited by 856 · see citing works
Self-citation
Abiogenic Hydrocarbon Production at Lost City Hydrothermal Field
Proskurowski, G., Lilley, M. D., Seewald, J. S., Früh-Green, G. L., Olson, E. J., Lupton, J. E., Sylva, S. P., & Kelley, D. S. (2008) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1151194 · Cited by 851 · see citing works
Autotrophy at the thermodynamic limit of life: a model for energy conservation in acetogenic bacteria
Schuchmann, K., & Müller, V. (2014) · Nature Reviews Microbiology · doi:10.1038/nrmicro3365 · Cited by 845 · see citing works
Biochemistry and Evolution of Anaerobic Energy Metabolism in Eukaryotes
Müller, M., Mentel, M., van Hellemond, J. J., Henze, K., Woehle, C., Gould, S. B., Yu, R.-Y., van der Giezen, M., Tielens, A. G. M., & Martin, W. F. (2012) · Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews · doi:10.1128/mmbr.05024-11 · Cited by 838 · see citing works
Self-citation
The emergence of life from iron monosulphide bubbles at a submarine hydrothermal redox and pH front
RUSSELL, M. J., & HALL, A. J. (1997) · Journal of the Geological Society · doi:10.1144/gsjgs.154.3.0377 · Cited by 822 · see citing works
Physiology of the bacterial cell : a molecular approach
Neidhardt, F. C., Ingraham, J. L., & Schaechter, M. (1990) · Cited by 808 · see citing works
Energy conservation via electron bifurcating ferredoxin reduction and proton/Na+ translocating ferredoxin oxidation
Buckel, W., & Thauer, R. K. (2013) · Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics · doi:10.1016/j.bbabio.2012.07.002 · Cited by 797 · see citing works
Physiology of the bacterial cell — A molecular approach
Murrell, J. C. (1991) · Trends in Genetics · doi:10.1016/0168-9525(91)90427-r · Cited by 784 · see citing works
Evolution of the vacuolar H+-ATPase: implications for the origin of eukaryotes.
Gogarten, J. P., Kibak, H., Dittrich, P., Taiz, L., Bowman, E. J., Bowman, B. J., Manolson, M. F., Poole, R. J., Date, T., Oshima, T., et al. (1989) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.86.17.6661 · Cited by 781 · see citing works
Thermotoga maritima sp. nov. represents a new genus of unique extremely thermophilic eubacteria growing up to 90�C
Huber, R., Langworthy, T. A., K�nig, H., Thomm, M., Woese, C. R., Sleytr, U. B., & STETTER, K. O. (1986) · Archives of Microbiology · doi:10.1007/bf00409880 · Cited by 778 · see citing works
On the origin of biochemistry at an alkaline hydrothermal vent
Martin, W., & Russell, M. J. (2007) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2006.1881 · Cited by 771 · see citing works
Self-citation
Extending the Upper Temperature Limit for Life
Kashefi, K., & Lovley, D. R. (2003) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1086823 · Cited by 770 · see citing works
Evolution of Photosynthesis
Hohmann-Marriott, M. F., & Blankenship, R. E. (2011) · Annual Review of Plant Biology · doi:10.1146/annurev-arplant-042110-103811 · Cited by 744 · see citing works
Alternative Pathways of Carbon Dioxide Fixation: Insights into the Early Evolution of Life?
Fuchs, G. (2011) · Annual Review of Microbiology · doi:10.1146/annurev-micro-090110-102801 · Cited by 726 · see citing works
Autotrophic carbon fixation in archaea
Berg, I. A., Kockelkorn, D., Ramos-Vera, W. H., Say, R. F., Zarzycki, J., Hügler, M., Alber, B. E., & Fuchs, G. (2010) · Nature Reviews Microbiology · doi:10.1038/nrmicro2365 · Cited by 719 · see citing works
Organic compounds in carbonaceous meteorites
Sephton, M. A. (2002) · Natural Product Reports · doi:10.1039/b103775g · Cited by 704 · see citing works
Groundworks for an evolutionary biochemistry: The iron-sulphur world
Wächtershäuser, G. (1992) · Progress in Biophysics and Molecular Biology · doi:10.1016/0079-6107(92)90022-x · Cited by 677 · see citing works
Comparative genomics, minimal gene-sets and the last universal common ancestor
Koonin, E. V. (2003) · Nature Reviews Microbiology · doi:10.1038/nrmicro751 · Cited by 661 · see citing works
Submarine hydrothermal vents and associated gradient environments as sites for the origin and evolution of life
Baross, J. A., & Hoffman, S. E. (1985) · Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere · doi:10.1007/bf01808177 · Cited by 621 · see citing works
Reassessing the first appearance of eukaryotes and cyanobacteria
Rasmussen, B., Fletcher, I. R., Brocks, J. J., & Kilburn, M. R. (2008) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature07381 · Cited by 612 · see citing works
Protein Phylogenies and Signature Sequences: A Reappraisal of Evolutionary Relationships among Archaebacteria, Eubacteria, and Eukaryotes
Gupta, R. S. (1998) · Microbiology and Molecular Biology Reviews · doi:10.1128/mmbr.62.4.1435-1491.1998 · Cited by 598 · see citing works
Endosymbiotic theories for eukaryote origin
Martin, W. F., Garg, S., & Zimorski, V. (2015) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2014.0330 · Cited by 583 · see citing works
Self-citation
A genomic timescale of prokaryote evolution: insights into the origin of methanogenesis, phototrophy, and the colonization of land
Battistuzzi, F. U., Feijao, A., & Hedges, S. B. (2004) · BMC Evolutionary Biology · doi:10.1186/1471-2148-4-44 · Cited by 581 · see citing works
Cometary Delivery of Organic Molecules to the Early Earth
Chyba, C. F., Thomas, P. J., Brookshaw, L., & Sagan, C. (1990) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.11538074 · Cited by 577 · see citing works
H 2 -rich fluids from serpentinization: Geochemical and biotic implications
Sleep, N. H., Meibom, A., Fridriksson, T., Coleman, R. G., & Bird, D. K. (2004) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0405289101 · Cited by 568 · see citing works
Pattern pluralism and the Tree of Life hypothesis
Doolittle, W. F., & Bapteste, E. (2007) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0610699104 · Cited by 546 · see citing works
Serpentinization as a source of energy at the origin of life
RUSSELL, M. J., HALL, A. J., & MARTIN, W. (2010) · Geobiology · doi:10.1111/j.1472-4669.2010.00249.x · Cited by 527 · see citing works
Self-citation
Environmental Genomics Reveals a Single-Species Ecosystem Deep Within Earth
Chivian, D. C., Brodie, E., Alm, E. J., Culley, D. E., Dehal, P., DeSantis, T. Z., Gihring, T. M., Lapidus, A. L., Lin, L., Lowry, S. R., et al. (2008) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1155495 · Cited by 521 · see citing works
An archaeal origin of eukaryotes supports only two primary domains of life
Williams, T. A., Foster, P. G., Cox, C. J., & Embley, T. M. (2013) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature12779 · Cited by 519 · see citing works
A hydrogen-based subsurface microbial community dominated by methanogens
Chapelle, F. H., O'Neill, K., Bradley, P. M., Methé, B. A., Ciufo, S. A., Knobel, L. L., & Lovley, D. R. (2002) · Nature · doi:10.1038/415312a · Cited by 506 · see citing works
The generality of self-splicing RNA: Relationship to nuclear mRNA splicing
Cech, T. R. (1986) · Cell · doi:10.1016/0092-8674(86)90751-8 · Cited by 478 · see citing works
Evolution of the Structure of Ferredoxin Based on Living Relics of Primitive Amino Acid Sequences
Eck, R. V., & Dayhoff, M. O. (1966) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.152.3720.363 · Cited by 471 · see citing works
Serpentinization, carbon, and deep life
Schrenk, M. O., Brazelton, W. J., & Lang, S. Q. (2013) · Reviews in Mineralogy and Geochemistry · doi:10.2138/rmg.2013.75.18 · Cited by 470 · see citing works
Endosymbiotic theory for organelle origins
Zimorski, V., Ku, C., Martin, W. F., & Gould, S. B. (2014) · Current Opinion in Microbiology · doi:10.1016/j.mib.2014.09.008 · Cited by 453 · see citing works
Self-citation
The origin of membrane bioenergetics
Lane, N., & Martin, W. F. (2012) · Cell · doi:10.1016/j.cell.2012.11.050 · Cited by 452 · see citing works
Self-citation
Genes in pieces: were they ever together?
Doolittle, W. F. (1978) · Nature · doi:10.1038/272581a0 · Cited by 444 · see citing works
A Nonhyperthermophilic Common Ancestor to Extant Life Forms
Galtier, N., Tourasse, N., & Gouy, M. (1999) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.283.5399.220 · Cited by 442 · see citing works
30,000 years of hydrothermal activity at the lost city vent field
Früh-Green, G. L., Kelley, D. S., Bernasconi, S. M., Karson, J. A., Ludwig, K. A., Butterfield, D. A., Boschi, C., & Proskurowski, G. (2003) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1085582 · Cited by 431 · see citing works
Origin of Life
Опарин, А. И., & Morgulis, S. (1938) · Cited by 426 · see citing works
Modular networks and cumulative impact of lateral transfer in prokaryote genome evolution
Dagan, T., Artzy-Randrup, Y., & Martin, W. (2008) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0800679105 · Cited by 409 · see citing works
Self-citation
Methane- and Sulfur-Metabolizing Microbial Communities Dominate the Lost City Hydrothermal Field Ecosystem
Brazelton, W. J., Schrenk, M. O., Kelley, D. S., & Baross, J. A. (2006) · Applied and Environmental Microbiology · doi:10.1128/aem.00574-06 · Cited by 404 · see citing works
Palaeotemperature trend for Precambrian life inferred from resurrected proteins
Gaucher, E. A., Govindarajan, S., & Ganesh, O. K. (2008) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature06510 · Cited by 397 · see citing works
Methanopyrus kandleri, gen. and sp. nov. represents a novel group of hyperthermophilic methanogens, growing at 110�C
Kurr, M., Huber, R., K�nig, H., Jannasch, H. W., Fricke, H., Trincone, A., Kristjánsson, J. K., & STETTER, K. O. (1991) · Archives of Microbiology · doi:10.1007/bf00262992 · Cited by 393 · see citing works
The logic of chance: the nature and origin of biological evolution
(2012) · Choice Reviews Online · doi:10.5860/choice.49-3845 · Cited by 391 · see citing works
The archaebacterial origin of eukaryotes
Cox, C. J., Foster, P. G., Hirt, R. P., Harris, S. R., & Embley, T. M. (2008) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0810647105 · Cited by 381 · see citing works
A Comparative Genomic Analysis of Energy Metabolism in Sulfate Reducing Bacteria and Archaea
Pereira, I. A. C., Ramos, A. R., Grein, F., Marques, M. C., da Silva, S. M., & Venceslau, S. S. (2011) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2011.00069 · Cited by 377 · see citing works
How did LUCA make a living? Chemiosmosis in the origin of life
Lane, N., Allen, J. F., & Martin, W. (2010) · BioEssays · doi:10.1002/bies.200900131 · Cited by 377 · see citing works
Self-citation
Hyperthermophilic procaryotes
STETTER, K. O. (1996) · FEMS Microbiology Reviews · doi:10.1111/j.1574-6976.1996.tb00233.x · Cited by 376 · see citing works
Elevated concentrations of formate, acetate and dissolved organic carbon found at the lost City hydrothermal field
Lang, S. Q., Butterfield, D. A., Schulte, M., Kelley, D. S., & Lilley, M. D. (2010) · Geochimica et Cosmochimica Acta · doi:10.1016/j.gca.2009.10.045 · Cited by 368 · see citing works
Algorithms for computing parsimonious evolutionary scenarios for genome evolution, the last universal common ancestor and dominance of horizontal gene transfer in the evolution of prokaryotes
Mirkin, B. G., Fenner, T. I., Galperin, M. Y., & Koonin, E. V. (2003) · BMC Evolutionary Biology · doi:10.1186/1471-2148-3-2 · Cited by 368 · see citing works
Towards a natural system of organisms: proposal for the domains Archaea, Bacteria and Eucarya
(1990) · Trends in Genetics · doi:10.1016/0168-9525(90)90229-y · Cited by 363 · see citing works
The tree of one percent.
(2006) · Genome biology · doi:10.1186/gb-2006-7-10-118 · Cited by 355 · see citing works
Self-citation
Estimating the size of the bacterial pan-genome
Lapierre, P., & Gogarten, J. P. (2009) · Trends in Genetics · doi:10.1016/j.tig.2008.12.004 · Cited by 354 · see citing works
Endosymbiotic origin and differential loss of eukaryotic genes
Ku, C., Sathi, S. N., Roettger, M., Sousa, F. L., Lockhart, P. J., Bryant, D., Hazkani‐Covo, E., McInerney, J. O., Landan, G., & Martin, W. F. (2015) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature14963 · Cited by 346 · see citing works
Self-citation
The origin and early evolution of eukaryotes in the light of phylogenomics
Koonin, E. V. (2010) · Genome Biology · doi:10.1186/gb-2010-11-5-209 · Cited by 345 · see citing works
Pathways for abiotic organic synthesis at submarine hydrothermal fields
McDermott, J. M., Seewald, J. S., German, C. R., & Sylva, S. P. (2015) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1506295112 · Cited by 340 · see citing works
Submarine hot springs and the origin of life
Miller, S. L., & Bada, J. L. (1988) · Nature · doi:10.1038/334609a0 · Cited by 338 · see citing works
Origin of the eukaryotic nucleus determined by rate-invariant analysis of rRNA sequences
Lake, J. A. (1988) · Nature · doi:10.1038/331184a0 · Cited by 325 · see citing works
Origin of life-facing up to the physical setting
Pace, N. R. (1991) · Cell · doi:10.1016/0092-8674(91)90082-a · Cited by 325 · see citing works
A Genome Phylogeny for Mitochondria Among -Proteobacteria and a Predominantly Eubacterial Ancestry of Yeast Nuclear Genes
Esser, C. (2004) · Molecular Biology and Evolution · doi:10.1093/molbev/msh160 · Cited by 324 · see citing works
Phylogenetics and the Cohesion of Bacterial Genomes
Daubin, V., Moran, N. A., & Ochman, H. (2003) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1086568 · Cited by 314 · see citing works
A Phylogenomic Approach to Bacterial Phylogeny: Evidence of a Core of Genes Sharing a Common HistoryPreprint
Daubin, V., Gouy, M., & Perrière, G. (2002) · Genome Research · doi:10.1101/gr.187002 · Cited by 309 · see citing works
Reappraisal of hydrocarbon biomarkers in Archean rocks
French, K. L., Hallmann, C., Hope, J. M., Schoon, P. L., Zumberge, J. A., Hoshino, Y., Peters, C. A., George, S. C., Love, G. D., Brocks, J. J., et al. (2015) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1419563112 · Cited by 307 · cited 1× · see citing works
“2008), and more recently taken back altogether by its original senior authors (French et al. 2015).”
Background
Geochemical constraints on the origin of organic compounds in hydrothermal systems
Shock, E. L. (1990) · Origins of life and evolution of the biosphere · doi:10.1007/bf01808115 · Cited by 299 · see citing works
The two-domain tree of life is linked to a new root for the Archaea
Raymann, K., Brochier‐Armanet, C., & Gribaldo, S. (2015) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1420858112 · Cited by 297 · see citing works
Early bioenergetic evolution
Sousa, F. L., Thiergart, T., Landan, G., Nelson-Sathi, S., Pereira, I. A. C., Allen, J. F., Lane, N., & Martin, W. F. (2013) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2013.0088 · Cited by 286 · cited 3× · see citing works
“energy is the exergonic reduction of CO2 to acetate in the case of acetogens or methane in the case of methanogens (Sousa et al. 2013b).”
BackgroundInfluentialSelf-citation
The origin and evolution of Archaea: a state of the art
Gribaldo, S., & Brochier‐Armanet, C. (2006) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2006.1841 · Cited by 286 · see citing works
Search for a 'Tree of Life' in the thicket of the phylogenetic forest
Puigbò, P., Wolf, Y. I., & Koonin, E. V. (2009) · Journal of Biology · doi:10.1186/jbiol159 · Cited by 276 · see citing works
Annotated English translation of Mereschkowsky's 1905 paper ‘Über Natur und Ursprung der Chromatophoren imPflanzenreiche’
Martin, W. F., & Kowallik, K. V. (1999) · European Journal of Phycology · doi:10.1080/09670269910001736342 · Cited by 273 · see citing works
Self-citation
Inferring the palaeoenvironment of ancient bacteria on the basis of resurrected proteins
Gaucher, E. A., Thomson, J. M., Burgan, M. F., & Benner, S. A. (2003) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature01977 · Cited by 264 · see citing works
Bacterial Na + -translocating ferredoxin:NAD + oxidoreductase
Biegel, E., & Müller, V. (2010) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1010318107 · Cited by 262 · see citing works
Processes on the young earth and the habitats of early life
Arndt, N. T., & Nisbet, E. G. (2012) · Annual Review of Earth and Planetary Sciences · doi:10.1146/annurev-earth-042711-105316 · Cited by 262 · see citing works
Higher‐level classification of the Archaea: evolution of methanogenesis and methanogens
Bapteste, E. P., Brochier‐Armanet, C., & Boucher, Y. (2005) · Archaea · doi:10.1155/2005/859728 · Cited by 261 · see citing works
Origins of major archaeal clades correspond to gene acquisitions from bacteria
Sathi, S. N., Sousa, F. L., Roettger, M., Lozada‐Chávez, A. N., Thiergart, T., Janssen, A., Bryant, D., Landan, G., Schönheit, P., Siebers, B., et al. (2014) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature13805 · Cited by 255 · see citing works
Self-citation
A non-hyperthermophilic ancestor for Bacteria
Brochier‐Armanet, C., & Philippe, H. (2002) · Nature · doi:10.1038/417244a · Cited by 253 · see citing works
Ancestral genome sizes specify the minimum rate of lateral gene transfer during prokaryote evolution
Dagan, T., & Martin, W. F. (2007) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.0606318104 · Cited by 246 · see citing works
Self-citation
Chance and necessity in the evolution of minimal metabolic networks
Pál, C., Papp, B., Lercher, M. J., Csermely, P., Oliver, S. G., & Hurst, L. D. (2006) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature04568 · Cited by 239 · see citing works
Sulphur isotope evidence for an oxic Archaean atmosphere
Ohmoto, H., Watanabe, Y., Ikemi, H., Poulson, S., & Taylor, B. (2006) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature05044 · Cited by 239 · see citing works
Abiotic methane flux from the Chimaera seep and Tekirova ophiolites (Turkey): Understanding gas exhalation from low temperature serpentinization and implications for Mars
Etiope, G., Schoell, M., & Hoşgörmez, H. (2011) · Earth and Planetary Science Letters · doi:10.1016/j.epsl.2011.08.001 · Cited by 232 · see citing works
Serpentinites, Hydrogen, and Life
McCollom, T. M., & Seewald, J. S. (2013) · Elements · doi:10.2113/gselements.9.2.129 · Cited by 230 · see citing works
Phylogeny and evolution of the Archaea: one hundred genomes later
Brochier‐Armanet, C., Forterre, P., & Gribaldo, S. (2011) · Current Opinion in Microbiology · doi:10.1016/j.mib.2011.04.015 · Cited by 229 · see citing works
Energetics of Amino Acid Synthesis in Hydrothermal Ecosystems
Amend, J. P., & Shock, E. L. (1998) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.281.5383.1659 · Cited by 226 · see citing works
An Overview of Endosymbiotic Models for the Origins of Eukaryotes, Their ATP-Producing Organelles (Mitochondria and Hydrogenosomes), and Their Heterotrophic Lifestyle
Martin, W. F., Hoffmeister, M., Rotte, C., & Henze, K. (2001) · Biological Chemistry · doi:10.1515/bc.2001.187 · Cited by 223 · see citing works
Self-citation
Some like it hot, but not the first biomolecules
Bada, J. L., & Lazcano, A. (2002) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1069487 · Cited by 222 · see citing works
Acquisition of 1,000 eubacterial genes physiologically transformed a methanogen at the origin of Haloarchaea
Sathi, S. N., Dagan, T., Landan, G., Janssen, A., Steel, M., McInerney, J. O., Deppenmeier, U., & Martin, W. F. (2012) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1209119109 · Cited by 222 · see citing works
Self-citation
Bio-inspired CO 2 conversion by iron sulfide catalysts under sustainable conditions
Roldán, A., Hollingsworth, N., Roffey, A., Islam, H.-U., Goodall, J. B. M., Catlow, C. R. A., Darr, J. A., Bras, W., Sankar, G., Holt, K. B., et al. (2015) · Chemical Communications · doi:10.1039/c5cc02078f · Cited by 222 · see citing works
Genomics and the Irreducible Nature of Eukaryote Cells
Kurland, C. G., Collins, L. J., & Penny, D. (2006) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.1121674 · Cited by 220 · see citing works
Testing the Exon Theory of Genes: The Evidence from Protein Structure
Stoltzfus, A., Spencer, D. F., Zuker, M., Logsdon, J. M., Jr., & Doolittle, W. F. (1994) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.8023140 · Cited by 212 · see citing works
Untitled work
(1929) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 204 · see citing works
Energy Production in Anaerobic Organisms
Decker, K., Jungermann, K., & Thauer, R. K. (1970) · Angewandte Chemie International Edition in English · doi:10.1002/anie.197001381 · Cited by 203 · see citing works
Computing prokaryotic gene ubiquity: Rescuing the core from extinctionPreprint
Charlebois, R. L., & Doolittle, W. F. (2004) · Genome Research · doi:10.1101/gr.3024704 · Cited by 199 · see citing works
Fructose 1,6-bisphosphate aldolase/phosphatase may be an ancestral gluconeogenic enzyme
Say, R. F., & Fuchs, G. (2010) · Nature · doi:10.1038/nature08884 · Cited by 198 · see citing works
An origin-of-life reactor to simulate alkaline hydrothermal vents
Herschy, B., Whicher, A., Camprubi, E., Watson, C., Dartnell, L., Ward, J., Evans, J. R. G., & Lane, N. (2014) · Journal of Molecular Evolution · doi:10.1007/s00239-014-9658-4 · Cited by 194 · see citing works
The universal tree of life: an update
Forterre, P. (2015) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2015.00717 · Cited by 186 · see citing works
Lateral gene transfer: when will adolescence end?
Lawrence, J. G., & Hendrickson, H. L. (2003) · Molecular Microbiology · doi:10.1046/j.1365-2958.2003.03778.x · Cited by 185 · see citing works
Small Molecule Interactions Were Central to the Origin of Life
Shapiro, R. (2006) · The Quarterly Review of Biology · doi:10.1086/506024 · Cited by 180 · see citing works
Role for Ferredoxins in the Origin of Life and Biological Evolution
HALL, D. O., CAMMACK, R., & RAO, K. K. (1971) · Nature · doi:10.1038/233136a0 · Cited by 177 · see citing works
Mitochondria and hydrogenosomes are two forms of the same fundamental organelle
Embley, T. M., van der Giezen, M., Horner, D. S., Dyal, P. L., & Foster, P. G. (2003) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2002.1190 · Cited by 170 · see citing works
Nanoarchaea: representatives of a novel archaeal phylum or a fast-evolving euryarchaeal lineage related to Thermococcales?
Brochier‐Armanet, C., Gribaldo, S., Zivanovic, Y., Confalonieri, F., & Forterre, P. (2005) · Genome biology · doi:10.1186/gb-2005-6-5-r42 · Cited by 168 · see citing works
Updated clusters of orthologous genes for Archaea: a complex ancestor of the Archaea and the byways of horizontal gene transfer
Wolf, Y. I., Makarova, K. S., Yutin, N., & Koonin, E. V. (2012) · Biology Direct · doi:10.1186/1745-6150-7-46 · Cited by 166 · see citing works
Evolution and gene transfer in purple photosynthetic bacteria
Dickerson, R. E. (1980) · Nature · doi:10.1038/283210a0 · Cited by 165 · see citing works
Benchmark Reaction Rates, the Stability of Biological Molecules in Water, and the Evolution of Catalytic Power in Enzymes
Wolfenden, R. V. (2011) · Annual Review of Biochemistry · doi:10.1146/annurev-biochem-060409-093051 · Cited by 164 · see citing works
Submarine hot springs and the origin of life
RUSSELL, M. J., HALL, A. J., CAIRNS-SMITH, A. G., & BRATERMAN, P. S. (1988) · Nature · doi:10.1038/336117a0 · Cited by 161 · see citing works
The origin of eukaryotes and their relationship with the Archaea: are we at a phylogenomic impasse?
Gribaldo, S., Poole, A. M., Daubin, V., Forterre, P., & Brochier‐Armanet, C. (2010) · Nature Reviews Microbiology · doi:10.1038/nrmicro2426 · Cited by 159 · see citing works
Rooting the Domain Archaea by Phylogenomic Analysis Supports the Foundation of the New Kingdom Proteoarchaeota
Petitjean, C., Deschamps, P., López‐García, P., & Moreira, D. (2014) · Genome Biology and Evolution · doi:10.1093/gbe/evu274 · Cited by 156 · see citing works
A Bioenergetic Basis for Membrane Divergence in Archaea and Bacteria
Sojo, V., Pomiankowski, A., & Lane, N. (2014) · PLoS Biology · doi:10.1371/journal.pbio.1001926 · Cited by 154 · see citing works
Small molecule interactions were central to the origin of life
Shapiro, R. (2010) · Cambridge University Press eBooks · doi:10.1017/cbo9780511730191.013 · Cited by 149 · see citing works
A congruent phylogenomic signal places eukaryotes within the Archaea
Williams, T. A., Foster, P. G., Nye, T. M. W., Cox, C. J., & Embley, T. M. (2012) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2012.1795 · Cited by 148 · see citing works
A Hot Topic: The Origin of Hyperthermophiles
Forterre, P. (1996) · Cell · doi:10.1016/s0092-8674(00)81262-3 · Cited by 145 · see citing works
An estimation of minimal genome size required for life
Itaya, M. (1995) · FEBS Letters · doi:10.1016/0014-5793(95)00233-y · Cited by 141 · see citing works
The hybrid nature of the Eukaryota and a consilient view of life on Earth
McInerney, J. O., O’Connell, M. J., & Pisani, D. (2014) · Nature Reviews Microbiology · doi:10.1038/nrmicro3271 · Cited by 138 · see citing works
Life Close to the Thermodynamic Limit: How Methanogenic Archaea Conserve Energy
Deppenmeier, U., & Müller, V. (2007) · Results and Problems in Cell Differentiation · doi:10.1007/400_2006_026 · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Thermoreduction, a hypothesis for the origin of prokaryotes.
Forterre, P. (1995) · PubMed · Cited by 129 · see citing works
Does a tree–like phylogeny only exist at the tips in the prokaryotes?
Creevey, C. J., Fitzpatrick, D. A., Philip, G. K., Kinsella, R. J., O'Connell, M. J., Pentony, M. M., Travers, S. A., Wilkinson, M., & McInerney, J. O. (2004) · Proceedings of the Royal Society of London. Series B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2004.2864 · Cited by 126 · see citing works
Electrochemical CO2 Reduction by Ni-containing Iron Sulfides: How Is CO2 Electrochemically Reduced at Bisulfide-Bearing Deep-sea Hydrothermal Precipitates?
Yamaguchi, A., Yamamoto, M., Takai, K., Ishii, T., Hashimoto, K., & Nakamura, R. (2014) · Electrochimica Acta · doi:10.1016/j.electacta.2014.07.078 · Cited by 119 · see citing works
Eukaryogenesis, how special really?
Booth, A., & Doolittle, W. F. (2015) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1421376112 · Cited by 116 · see citing works
Archaeal phylogeny based on proteins of the transcription and translation machineries: tackling the Methanopyrus kandleri paradox
Brochier‐Armanet, C., Forterre, P., & Gribaldo, S. (2004) · Genome biology · doi:10.1186/gb-2004-5-3-r17 · Cited by 115 · see citing works
Hydrogen, metals, bifurcating electrons, and proton gradients: The early evolution of biological energy conservation
Martin, W. F. (2012) · FEBS Letters · doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2011.09.031 · Cited by 108 · see citing works
Self-citation
The branching order and phylogenetic placement of species from completed bacterial genomes, based on conserved indels found in various proteins
Gupta, R. S. (2001) · International Microbiology · doi:10.1007/s10123-001-0037-9 · Cited by 103 · see citing works
Archean (3.33 Ga) microbe-sediment systems were diverse and flourished in a hydrothermal context
Westall, F., Campbell, K. A., Bréhéret, J., Foucher, F., Gautret, P., Hubert, A., Sorieul, S., Grassineau, N. V., & Guido, D. M. (2015) · Geology · doi:10.1130/g36646.1 · Cited by 103 · see citing works
The energetics of organic synthesis inside and outside the cell
Amend, J. P., LaRowe, D. E., McCollom, T. M., & Shock, E. L. (2013) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2012.0255 · Cited by 103 · see citing works
Massively Convergent Evolution for Ribosomal Protein Gene Content in Plastid and Mitochondrial Genomes
Maier, U., Zauner, S., Woehle, C., Bolte, K., Hempel, F., Allen, J. F., & Martin, W. F. (2013) · Genome Biology and Evolution · doi:10.1093/gbe/evt181 · Cited by 102 · see citing works
Self-citation
Biochemical fossils of the ancient transition from geoenergetics to bioenergetics in prokaryotic one carbon compound metabolism
Sousa, F. L., & Martin, W. F. (2014) · Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics · doi:10.1016/j.bbabio.2014.02.001 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
Self-citation
Archaeal “Dark Matter” and the Origin of Eukaryotes
Williams, T. A., & Embley, T. M. (2014) · Genome Biology and Evolution · doi:10.1093/gbe/evu031 · Cited by 100 · see citing works
Phylogeny of 33 ribosomal and six other proteins encoded in an ancient gene cluster that is conserved across prokaryotic genomes: influence of excluding poorly alignable sites from analysis.
Hansmann, S., & Martin, W. (2000) · International Journal of Systematic and Evolutionary Microbiology · doi:10.1099/00207713-50-4-1655 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Self-citation
Archaeal phylogenomics provides evidence in support of a methanogenic origin of the Archaea and a thaumarchaeal origin for the eukaryotes
Kelly, S. L., Wickstead, B., & Keith Gull, B. (2010) · Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rspb.2010.1427 · Cited by 99 · see citing works
Chlorophyll Biosynthesis Gene Evolution Indicates Photosystem Gene Duplication, Not Photosystem Merger, at the Origin of Oxygenic Photosynthesis
Sousa, F. L., Shavit-Grievink, L., Allen, J. F., & Martin, W. F. (2013) · Genome Biology and Evolution · doi:10.1093/gbe/evs127 · Cited by 95 · see citing works
Self-citation
An emerging phylogenetic core of Archaea: phylogenies of transcription and translation machineries converge following addition of new genome sequences
Brochier‐Armanet, C., Forterre, P., & Gribaldo, S. (2005) · BMC Evolutionary Biology · doi:10.1186/1471-2148-5-36 · Cited by 94 · see citing works
Eukaryotic genes of archaebacterial origin are more important than the more numerous eubacterial genes, irrespective of function
Cotton, J. A., & McInerney, J. O. (2010) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1000265107 · Cited by 91 · see citing works
Acetogenesis in Deep Subseafloor Sediments of The Juan de Fuca Ridge Flank: A Synthesis of Geochemical, Thermodynamic, and Gene-based Evidence
Lever, M. A., Heuer, V. B., Morono, Y., Masui, N., Schmidt, F., Alperin, M. J., Inagaki, F., Hinrichs, K.-U., & Teske, A. (2010) · Geomicrobiology Journal · doi:10.1080/01490450903456681 · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Life before the rise of oxygen
Fischer, W. W. (2008) · Nature · doi:10.1038/4551051a · Cited by 86 · see citing works
Geochemical constraints on chemolithoautotrophic reactions in hydrothermal systems
Shock, E. L., McCollom, T. M., & Schulte, M. D. (1995) · Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres · doi:10.1007/bf01581579 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
A redox switch hypothesis for the origin of two light reactions in photosynthesis
Allen, J. F. (2005) · FEBS Letters · doi:10.1016/j.febslet.2005.01.015 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
Chemical Evolution II: From the Origins of Life to Modern Society
Zaikowski, L., Friedrich, J. M., & Seidel, S. R. (2009) · ACS symposium series · doi:10.1021/bk-2009-1025 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Accounting for horizontal gene transfers explains conflicting hypotheses regarding the position of aquificales in the phylogeny of Bacteria
Boussau, B., Guéguen, L., & Gouy, M. (2008) · BMC Evolutionary Biology · doi:10.1186/1471-2148-8-272 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
No soup for starters? Autotrophy and the origins of metabolism
Maden, B. E. H. (1995) · Trends in Biochemical Sciences · doi:10.1016/s0968-0004(00)89069-6 · Cited by 81 · see citing works
The Vital Question: Why is life the way it is?
Lane, N. J. (2001) · Medical Entomology and Zoology · Cited by 78 · see citing works
Energetics of Biomolecule Synthesis on Early Earth
Amend, J. P., & McCollom, T. M. (2009) · ACS symposium series · doi:10.1021/bk-2009-1025.ch004 · Cited by 66 · see citing works
Eukaryotes really are special, and mitochondria are why
Lane, N. J., & Martin, W. F. (2015) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1509237112 · Cited by 55 · see citing works
Self-citation
Bacteria with a eukaryotic touch: A glimpse of ancient evolution?
Forterre, P., & Gribaldo, S. (2010) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1007720107 · Cited by 53 · see citing works
The archaebacterial origin of eukaryotes
Embley, T. M. (2009) · Comparative Biochemistry and Physiology Part A Molecular & Integrative Physiology · doi:10.1016/j.cbpa.2009.04.498 · Cited by 47 · see citing works
Evidence for a New Root of the Tree of Life
Lake, J. A., Servin, J. A., Herbold, C. W., & Skophammer, R. G. (2008) · Systematic Biology · doi:10.1080/10635150802555933 · Cited by 40 · see citing works
The Chemical Basis of Membrane Bioenergetics
Berry, S. (2002) · Journal of Molecular Evolution · doi:10.1007/s00239-001-0056-3 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
The Fuel Cell Model of Abiogenesis: A New Approach to Origin-of-Life Simulations
Barge, L. M., Kee, T. P., Doloboff, I. J., Hampton, J. M., Ismail, M. S., Pourkashanian, M. M., Zeytounian, J. L., Baum, M. M., Moss, J. A., Lin, C., et al. (2014) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2014.1140 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Energetics of amino acid synthesis in alkaline hydrothermal environments
Kitadai, N. (2015) · Origins of Life and Evolution of Biospheres · doi:10.1007/s11084-015-9428-3 · Cited by 34 · see citing works
Debating Evidence for the Origin of Life on Earth
Bada, J. L., Fegley, B., Miller, S. L., Lazcano, A., Cleaves, H. J., Hazen, R. M., & Chalmers, J. H. (2007) · Science · doi:10.1126/science.315.5814.937c · Cited by 32 · see citing works
18. Serpentinization, Carbon, and Deep Life
Schrenk, M. O., Brazelton, W. J., & Lang, S. Q. (2013) · De Gruyter eBooks · doi:10.1515/9781501508318-020 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Phylogeny and Taxonomy of Archaea: A Comparison of the Whole-Genome-Based CVTree Approach with 16S rRNA Sequence Analysis
Zuo, G., Xu, Z. L., & Hao, B. (2015) · Life · doi:10.3390/life5010949 · Cited by 27 · see citing works
The Relative Ages of Eukaryotes and Akaryotes
Penny, D., Collins, L. J., Daly, T. K., & Cox, S. J. (2014) · Journal of Molecular Evolution · doi:10.1007/s00239-014-9643-y · Cited by 26 · see citing works
Evolution of Photosynthesis
Allen, J. F., & Vermaas, W. F. J. (2010) · Encyclopedia of Life Sciences · doi:10.1002/9780470015902.a0002034.pub2 · Cited by 24 · see citing works
The phylogenomics of protein structures: The backstory
Kurland, C. G., & Harish, A. (2015) · Biochimie · doi:10.1016/j.biochi.2015.07.027 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Respiratory chains of archaea and extremophiles
Schäfer, G., Purschke, W. G., Gleißner, M., & Schmidt, C. L. (1996) · Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics · doi:10.1016/0005-2728(96)00043-6 · Cited by 22 · see citing works
Hydrothermal vents too hot?
Joyce, G. F. (1988) · Nature · doi:10.1038/334564a0 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Models of gene gain and gene loss for probabilistic reconstruction of gene content in the last universal common ancestor of life
Kannan, L., Li, H., RUBINSTEIN, B. Y., & Mushegian, A. R. (2013) · Biology Direct · doi:10.1186/1745-6150-8-32 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
What genomes have to say about the evolution of the Earth
Boussau, B., & Gouy, M. (2011) · Gondwana Research · doi:10.1016/j.gr.2011.08.002 · Cited by 17 · see citing works
Organic Compounds in Carbonaceous Meteorites
Sephton, M. A. (2002) · ChemInform · doi:10.1002/chin.200238262 · Cited by 11 · see citing works

Flagged first, then by citations

8 of the 194 references couldn’t be matched to a known paper.

Sorted by citations

Biosignatures on Mars: What, Where, and How? Implications for the Search for Martian Life
Westall, F., Foucher, F., Bost, N., Bertrand, M., Loizeau, D., Vago, J. L., Kminek, G., Gaboyer, F., Campbell, K. A., Bréhéret, J., et al. (2015) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2015.1374 · Cited by 315 · see citing works
Life: the first two billion years
Knoll, A. H., Bergmann, K., & Strauss, J. V. (2016) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2015.0493 · Cited by 207 · see citing works
Processes in Microbial Ecology
Kirchman, D. L. (2018) · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198789406.001.0001 · Cited by 207 · see citing works
The last universal common ancestor between ancient Earth chemistry and the onset of genetics
Weiss, M. C., Preiner, M., Xavier, J. C., Zimorski, V., & Martin, W. F. (2018) · PLOS Genetics · doi:10.1371/journal.pgen.1007518 · Cited by 186 · see citing works
Self-citation
Physical foundations of biological complexity
Wolf, Y. I., Katsnelson, M. I., & Koonin, E. V. (2018) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1807890115 · Cited by 151 · see citing works
Older than genes: the acetyl CoA pathway and origins
Martin, W. F. (2020) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2020.00817 · Cited by 132 · see citing works
Self-citation
Histone deacetylase inhibitors for cancer therapy: An evolutionarily ancient resistance response may explain their limited success
Halsall, J. A., & Turner, B. M. (2016) · BioEssays · doi:10.1002/bies.201600070 · Cited by 85 · see citing works
The Emergence of Life
Camprubí, E., de Leeuw, J. W., House, C. H., Raulin, F., Russell, M. J., Spang, A., Tirumalai, M. R., & Westall, F. (2019) · Space Science Reviews · doi:10.1007/s11214-019-0624-8 · Cited by 84 · see citing works
Horizontal operon transfer, plasmids, and the evolution of photosynthesis in Rhodobacteraceae
Brinkmann, H., Göker, M., Koblížek, M., Wagner‐Döbler, I., & Petersen, J. (2018) · The ISME Journal · doi:10.1038/s41396-018-0150-9 · Cited by 83 · see citing works
Microbial Diversity: The Gap between the Estimated and the Known
Vitorino, L. C., & Bessa, L. A. (2018) · Diversity · doi:10.3390/d10020046 · Cited by 78 · see citing works
A methylotrophic origin of methanogenesis and early divergence of anaerobic multicarbon alkane metabolism
Wang, Y., Wegener, G., Williams, T. A., Xie, R., Hou, J., Tian, C., Zhang, Y., Wang, F., & Xiao, X. (2021) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.abj1453 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Oxygen therapy of the newborn from molecular understanding to clinical practice
Saugstad, O. D., Oei, J. L., Lakshminrusimha, S., & Vento, M. (2018) · Pediatric Research · doi:10.1038/s41390-018-0176-8 · Cited by 73 · see citing works
Thinking twice about the evolution of photosynthesis
Cardona, T. (2018) · Open Biology · doi:10.1098/rsob.180246 · Cited by 72 · see citing works
Geological and Geochemical Constraints on the Origin and Evolution of Life
Sleep, N. H. (2018) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2017.1778 · Cited by 71 · see citing works
Serpentinization as the source of energy, electrons, organics, catalysts, nutrients and pH gradients for the origin of LUCA and life
Schwander, L., Brabender, M., Mrnjavac, N., Wimmer, J. L. E., Preiner, M., & Martin, W. F. (2023) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1257597 · Cited by 65 · see citing works
“See also Martin (2012, 2020) and Martin and Sousa (2016).”
BackgroundSelf-citation
From Enzymes to Functional Materials—Towards Activation of Small Molecules
Möller, F., Piontek, S., Miller, R. G., & Apfel, U. (2017) · Chemistry - A European Journal · doi:10.1002/chem.201703451 · Cited by 62 · see citing works
“Hot” acetogenesis
Basen, M., & Müller, V. (2016) · Extremophiles · doi:10.1007/s00792-016-0873-3 · Cited by 61 · see citing works
The metabolic network of the last bacterial common ancestor
Xavier, J. C., Gerhards, R. E., Wimmer, J. L. E., Brueckner, J., Tria, F. D. K., & Martin, W. F. (2021) · Communications Biology · doi:10.1038/s42003-021-01918-4 · Cited by 59 · see citing works
Self-citation
One step beyond a ribosome: The ancient anaerobic core
Sousa, F. L., Nelson-Sathi, S., & Martin, W. F. (2016) · Biochimica et Biophysica Acta (BBA) - Bioenergetics · doi:10.1016/j.bbabio.2016.04.284 · Cited by 58 · see citing works
Self-citation
Co-evolution of primitive methane-cycling ecosystems and early Earth’s atmosphere and climate
Sauterey, B., Charnay, B., Affholder, A., Mazevet, S., & Ferrière, R. (2020) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-020-16374-7 · Cited by 54 · see citing works
A methylotrophic origin of methanogenesis and early divergence of anaerobic multicarbon alkane metabolism
Wang, Y., Wegener, G., Williams, T. A., Xie, R., Hou, J., Wang, F., & Xiao, X. (2021) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.abd7180 · Cited by 50 · see citing works
Retracted
Oxygen Reductases in Alphaproteobacterial Genomes: Physiological Evolution From Low to High Oxygen Environments
Esposti, M. D., Mentel, M., Martin, W. F., & Sousa, F. L. (2019) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2019.00499 · Cited by 49 · see citing works
Self-citation
The number and type of oxygen-utilizing enzymes indicates aerobic vs. anaerobic phenotype
Jabłońska, J., & Tawfik, D. S. (2019) · Free Radical Biology and Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2019.03.031 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
Aerobic Lineage of the Oxidative Stress Response Protein Rubrerythrin Emerged in an Ancient Microaerobic, (Hyper)Thermophilic Environment
Cárdenas, J. P., Quatrini, R., & Holmes, D. S. (2016) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2016.01822 · Cited by 44 · see citing works
On the Evolutionary History of the Twenty Encoded Amino Acids
Kirschning, A. (2022) · Chemistry - A European Journal · doi:10.1002/chem.202201419 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Evolution of Pyrrolysyl-tRNA Synthetase: From Methanogenesis to Genetic Code Expansion
Koch, N. G., & Budiša, N. (2024) · Chemical Reviews · doi:10.1021/acs.chemrev.4c00031 · Cited by 43 · see citing works
Identification of a deep-branching thermophilic clade sheds light on early bacterial evolution
Leng, H., Wang, Y., Zhao, W., Sievert, S. M., & Xiao, X. (2023) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-023-39960-x · Cited by 40 · see citing works
Insights into the biotechnology potential of Methanosarcina
Carr, S., & Buan, N. R. (2022) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2022.1034674 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
How to define obligatory anaerobiosis? An evolutionary view on the antioxidant response system and the early stages of the evolution of life on Earth
Ślesak, I., Kula-Maximenko, M., Ślesak, H., Miszalski, Z., & Strzałka, K. (2019) · Free Radical Biology and Medicine · doi:10.1016/j.freeradbiomed.2019.03.004 · Cited by 38 · see citing works
Exobiology of the Venusian Clouds: New Insights into Habitability through Terrestrial Models and Methods of Detection
Kotsyurbenko, O. R., Cordova, J. A., Belov, A. A., Сергеевич, Ч. В., Kölbl, D., Khrunyk, Y. Y., Kryuchkova, M. O., Milojević, T., Mogul, R., Sasaki, S., et al. (2021) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2020.2296 · Cited by 37 · see citing works
Porphyromonas spp. have an extensive host range in ill and healthy individuals and an unexpected environmental distribution: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Acuña-Amador, L., & Barloy-Hubler, F. (2020) · Anaerobe · doi:10.1016/j.anaerobe.2020.102280 · Cited by 35 · see citing works
Unique H2-utilizing lithotrophy in serpentinite-hosted systems
Nobu, M. K., Nakai, R., Tamazawa, S., Mori, H., Toyoda, A., Ijiri, A., Suzuki, S., Kurokawa, K., Kamagata, Y., & Tamaki, H. (2023) · The ISME Journal · doi:10.1038/s41396-022-01197-9 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Overview of the Diverse Roles of Bacterial and Archaeal Cytoskeletons
Amos, L., & Löwe, J. (2017) · Sub-cellular biochemistry/Subcellular biochemistry · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-53047-5_1 · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Early Mars habitability and global cooling by H2-based methanogens
Sauterey, B., Charnay, B., Affholder, A., Mazevet, S., & Ferrière, R. (2022) · Nature Astronomy · doi:10.1038/s41550-022-01786-w · Cited by 32 · see citing works
Physiology, phylogeny, and LUCA
Martin, W. F., Weiss, M. C., Neukirchen, S., Sathi, S. N., & Sousa, F. L. (2016) · Microbial Cell · doi:10.15698/mic2016.12.545 · Cited by 31 · see citing works
Self-citation
Thermochronologic perspectives on the deep-time evolution of the deep biosphere
Drake, H., & Reiners, P. W. (2021) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.2109609118 · Cited by 30 · see citing works
Introduction to geomicrobiology
Kirchman, D. L. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198789406.003.0013 · Cited by 29 · see citing works
Chromatin Evolution-Key Innovations Underpinning Morphological Complexity
Hajheidari, M., Koncz, C., & Bucher, M. (2019) · Frontiers in Plant Science · doi:10.3389/fpls.2019.00454 · Cited by 25 · see citing works
Protocellular Heme and Iron–Sulfur Clusters
Rossetto, D., Cvjetan, N., Walde, P., & Mansy, S. S. (2024) · Accounts of Chemical Research · doi:10.1021/acs.accounts.4c00254 · Cited by 23 · see citing works
Microbial ecology of serpentinite-hosted ecosystems
Colman, D. R., Templeton, A. S., Spear, J. R., & Boyd, E. S. (2025) · The ISME Journal · doi:10.1093/ismejo/wraf029 · Cited by 21 · see citing works
Identification and characterization of a bacterial core methionine synthase
Deobald, D., Hanna, R., Shahryari, S., Layer, G., & Adrian, L. (2020) · Scientific Reports · doi:10.1038/s41598-020-58873-z · Cited by 21 · see citing works
The coenzyme/protein pair and the molecular evolution of life
Kirschning, A. (2020) · Natural Product Reports · doi:10.1039/d0np00037j · Cited by 21 · see citing works
A Large-Scale Multiple Genome Comparison of Acidophilic Archaea (pH ≤ 5.0) Extends Our Understanding of Oxidative Stress Responses in Polyextreme Environments
Neira, G., Vergara, E., Cortez, D., & Holmes, D. S. (2021) · Antioxidants · doi:10.3390/antiox11010059 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Magnetotactic Bacteria: From Evolution to Biomineralization and Biomedical Applications
Štrbák, O., Hnilicová, P., Gombos, J., Lokajova, A., & Kopčanský, P. (2022) · Minerals · doi:10.3390/min12111403 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Methylotrophic methanogenesis in the Archaeoglobi revealed by cultivation of Ca. Methanoglobus hypatiae from a Yellowstone hot spring
Lynes, M. M., Jay, Z. J., Kohtz, A. J., & Hatzenpichler, R. (2024) · The ISME Journal · doi:10.1093/ismejo/wrae026 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Ribose Selected as Precursor to Life
Bánfalvi, G. (2019) · DNA and Cell Biology · doi:10.1089/dna.2019.4943 · Cited by 20 · see citing works
Tracing the Early Emergence of Microbial Sulfur Metabolisms
Morrison, P. R., & Mojzsis, S. J. (2020) · Geomicrobiology Journal · doi:10.1080/01490451.2020.1812773 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Effect of Oxygen Contamination on Propionate and Caproate Formation in Anaerobic Fermentation
Baleeiro, F. C. F., Ardila, M. S., Kleinsteuber, S., & Sträuber, H. (2021) · Frontiers in Bioengineering and Biotechnology · doi:10.3389/fbioe.2021.725443 · Cited by 19 · see citing works
Hypothesis on the Synchronistic Evolution of Autotrophy and Heterotrophy
Gutekunst, K. (2018) · Trends in Biochemical Sciences · doi:10.1016/j.tibs.2018.03.008 · Cited by 18 · see citing works
Evidence for corrin biosynthesis in the last universal common ancestor
Modjewski, L. D., Karavaeva, V., Mrnjavac, N., Knopp, M., Martin, W. F., & Sousa, F. L. (2025) · The FEBS Journal · doi:10.1111/febs.17367 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
“Corrin synthesis itself holds no clear evidence for antiquity, other than its basal position in tetrapyrrole biogenesis [46,82].”
InfluentialSelf-citation
Phylogenetic diversity and community structure of Planctomycetota from plant biomass-rich environments
Klimek, D., Lage, O. M., & Całusińska, M. (2025) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2025.1579219 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Bacterial effluxome as a barrier against antimicrobial agents: structural biology aspects and drug targeting
Brindangnanam, P., Sawant, A. R., Prashanth, K., & Coumar, M. S. (2021) · Tissue Barriers · doi:10.1080/21688370.2021.2013695 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Adaptive laboratory evolution of a thermophile toward a reduced growth temperature optimum
Lehmann, M., Prohaska, C., Zeldes, B. M., Poehlein, A., Daniel, R., & Basen, M. (2023) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2023.1265216 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Physiological and Genomic Characterization of a Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Archaeoglobus neptunius sp. nov. Isolated From a Deep-Sea Hydrothermal Vent Warrants the Reclassification of the Genus Archaeoglobus
Slobodkina, G. B., Allioux, M., Merkel, A. Y., Cambon‐Bonavita, M., Alain, K., Jebbar, M., & Slobodkin, A. I. (2021) · Frontiers in Microbiology · doi:10.3389/fmicb.2021.679245 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
The late Archaean to early Proterozoic origin and evolution of anaerobic methane‐oxidizing archaea
Wang, Y., Xie, R., Hou, J., Lv, Z., Li, L., Hu, Y., Huang, H., & Wang, F. (2022) · mLife · doi:10.1002/mlf2.12013 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Origin and phylogenetic relationships of [4Fe–4S]‐containing O 2 sensors of bacteria
Barth, C., Weiss, M. C., Roettger, M., Martin, W. F., & Unden, G. (2018) · Environmental Microbiology · doi:10.1111/1462-2920.14411 · Cited by 15 · see citing works
Self-citation
The Moon‐Forming Impact and the Autotrophic Origin of Life
Mrnjavac, N., Wimmer, J. L. E., Brabender, M., Schwander, L., & Martin, W. F. (2023) · ChemPlusChem · doi:10.1002/cplu.202300270 · Cited by 13 · see citing works
Self-citation
Reactive Oxygen Defense Against Cellular Endoparasites and the Origin of Eukaryotes
White, J. F., Kingsley, K. L., Harper, C. J., Verma, S. K., Brindisi, L. J., Chen, Q., Chang, X., Micci, A., & Bergen, M. S. (2018) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-813012-4.00018-8 · Cited by 12 · see citing works
A reassessment of the “hard-steps” model for the evolution of intelligent life
Mills, D. B., Macalady, J. L., Frank, A., & Wright, J. T. (2025) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.ads5698 · Cited by 11 · see citing works
Codh/Acs-Deficient Methanogens Are Prevalent in Anaerobic Digesters
Nagoya, M., Kouzuma, A., & Watanabe, K. (2021) · Microorganisms · doi:10.3390/microorganisms9112248 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Microbial primary production and phototrophy
Kirchman, D. L. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198789406.003.0006 · Cited by 10 · see citing works
Respiratory processes of early-evolved hyperthermophiles in sulfidic and low-oxygen geothermal microbial communities
Inskeep, W. P., Jay, Z. J., McKay, L. J., & Dlakić, M. (2025) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-024-55079-z · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Nitroreductases of bacterial origin in Giardia lamblia: Potential role in detoxification of xenobiotics
Müller, J., & Müller, N. (2019) · MicrobiologyOpen · doi:10.1002/mbo3.904 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Deeper below the surface—transcriptional changes in selected genes ofClostridium beijerinckiiin response to butanol shock
Patáková, P., Kolek, J., Jureckova, K., Branská, B., Sedlář, K., Vasylkivska, M., & Provazník, I. (2020) · MicrobiologyOpen · doi:10.1002/mbo3.1146 · Cited by 9 · see citing works
Essential Logic and Facts Behind the Expansion of the Genetic Code: A Critical Assessment
Luu, H. T. L., Karbalaei‐Heidari, H. R., & Budiša, N. (2025) · ChemCatChem · doi:10.1002/cctc.202500809 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Degradation of organic matter
Kirchman, D. L. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198789406.003.0007 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Physiology, phylogeny, and the energetic roots of life
Martin, W. F. (2017) · Periodicum Biologorum · doi:10.18054/pb.v118i4.4737 · Cited by 8 · see citing works
Self-citation
Thermodynamic dissipation constrains metabolic versatility of unicellular growth
Cossetto, T., Rodenfels, J., & Sartori, P. (2025) · Nature Communications · doi:10.1038/s41467-025-62975-5 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Recent Developments in Antioxidants from Natural Sources
Fuertes, P. O., & Corral, M. F. (2023) · Biochemistry · doi:10.5772/intechopen.104365 · Cited by 7 · see citing works
Different Scenarios for the Origin and the Subsequent Succession of a Hypothetical Microbial Community in the Cloud Layer of Venus
Kotsyurbenko, O. R., Kompanichenko, V. N., Brouchkov, A. V., Khrunyk, Y. Y., Karlov, S. P., Sorokin, V. V., & Анатольевич, С. Д. (2024) · Astrobiology · doi:10.1089/ast.2022.0117 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Hypothesis for Molecular Evolution in the Pre‐Cellular Stage of the Origin of Life
Wang, Y., & Du, Y. (2025) · Wiley Interdisciplinary Reviews - RNA · doi:10.1002/wrna.70001 · Cited by 6 · see citing works
Bioenergetics evolution: the link between Earth’s and Life’s history
Padalko, A., Karavaeva, V., Beas, J. Z., Neukirchen, S., & Sousa, F. L. (2025) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2024.0102 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
Self-citation
A Thermodynamic Model for Water Activity and Redox Potential in Evolution and Development
Dick, J. M. (2022) · Journal of Molecular Evolution · doi:10.1007/s00239-022-10051-7 · Cited by 5 · see citing works
The Hidden Price of Plenty: Oxidative Stress and Calorie-Induced Cardiometabolic Dysfunction
Komić, L., Kumrić, M., Komic, J., Tomičić, M., Kurir, T. T., Grahovac, M., Mornar, M., Rušić, D., Bukić, J., & Božić, J. (2025) · Life · doi:10.3390/life15071022 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Cultivation of Methanonezhaarchaeia, the third class of methanogens within the phylum Thermoproteota
Kohtz, A. J., Nupp, S., & Hatzenpichler, R. (2025) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.aea0936 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
A Review of Biological Methods for Air Pollution Control and Environmental Sustainability
Jadoun, S., Erfani, H., Khodayari, S., Kalantari, F., Fatahi, S., & Gorjizadeh, F. (2025) · Water Air & Soil Pollution · doi:10.1007/s11270-025-08315-1 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Community structure of microbes in natural environments
Kirchman, D. L. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198789406.003.0004 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
How Molecular Forces and Rotating Planets Create Life
Spitzer, J. J. (2021) · The MIT Press eBooks · doi:10.7551/mitpress/13595.001.0001 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Synthesis of Acetyl-CoA from Carbon Dioxide in Acetogenic Bacteria
Wiechmann, A., & Müller, V. (2017) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-43676-0_4-2 · Cited by 4 · see citing works
Coevolution and cross-infection patterns between viruses and their host methanogens in paddy soils
Wu, X., Liu, Y., He, Z., Zhou, X., Liesack, W., & Peng, J. (2025) · ISME Communications · doi:10.1093/ismeco/ycaf088 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
History of Life from the Hydrocarbon Fossil Record
Walters, C. C., Peters, K. E., & Moldowan, J. M. (2020) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-90569-3_32 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
The physical-chemical environment of microbes
Kirchman, D. L. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198789406.003.0003 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Synthesis of Acetyl-CoA from Carbon Dioxide in Acetogenic Bacteria
Müller, V., & Wiechmann, A. (2017) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-43676-0_4-1 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Synthesis of Acetyl-CoA from Carbon Dioxide in Acetogenic Bacteria
Wiechmann, A., & Müller, V. (2019) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-50430-8_4 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Processes in Anoxic Environments
Kirchman, D. L., & Shade, A. L. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/9780197831632.003.0011 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Elements, biochemicals, and structures of microbes
Kirchman, D. L. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198789406.003.0002 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Molecular Evolution
Clark, D. P., Pazdernik, N. J., & McGehee, M. R. (2018) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-813288-3.00029-x · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Thinking Twice about the Evolution of PhotosynthesisPreprint
Cardona, T. (2018) · Preprints.org · doi:10.20944/preprints201812.0087.v1 · Cited by 3 · see citing works
Designing Peptide Fossils That Model the Evolution of the Bacterial Ferredoxin Fold
Jagilinki, B. P., Campbell, I. J., Tyryshkin, A. M., Mutter, A. C., Siess, J., DiGiacomo, J., Klein, D., Poudel, S., Falkowski, P. G., Silberg, J. J., et al. (2025) · JACS Au · doi:10.1021/jacsau.5c00863 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
A Thermodynamic View of Evolution
Jordan, C. F. (2021) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-85186-6_12 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Microbial growth, biomass production, and controls
Kirchman, D. L. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198789406.003.0008 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Four Billion Years: The Story of an Ancient Protein Family
Didier, G., Landès, C., Hénaut, A., & Torrésani, B. (2012) · Applied and numerical harmonic analysis · doi:10.1007/978-3-030-45847-8_25 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Predation and Protists
Kirchman, D. L., & Shade, A. L. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/9780197831632.003.0007 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Molecular Evolution and Functional Divergence of Heterodisulfide Reductase A (HdrA)Preprint
Banerjee, M. (2024) · bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory) · doi:10.1101/2024.09.26.615249 · Cited by 2 · see citing works
Organic Cofactors in the Electron Transport Chain: Properties and Connection to the Prebiotic World
Riazi‐Sekowski, S., Bundang, K., Chastain, J. L., Carman, N., Velling, S. J., Aguilera, J., Luna, M., Trejo, C., Alian, O. M., Teece, B. L., et al. (2026) · ChemSystemsChem · doi:10.1002/syst.202500037 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
The Fate of Horizontally Acquired Genes: Rapid Initial Turnover Followed by Long-Term Persistence
Mishra, S., Weit, K., & Lercher, M. J. (2026) · Molecular Biology and Evolution · doi:10.1093/molbev/msag146 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
History of Life from the Hydrocarbon Fossil Record
Walters, C. C., Peters, K. E., & Moldowan, J. M. (2018) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-3-319-54529-5_32-1 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Who is the last universal common ancestor? A brief discussion about its genetics, cellular properties, and metabolisms
Xie, J., & Wang, F. (2017) · Chinese Science Bulletin (Chinese Version) · doi:10.1360/n972016-00950 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Origin of Life, Theories of
Martin, W. F., & Preiner, M. (2017) · Elsevier eBooks · doi:10.1016/b978-0-12-809633-8.02403-1 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citation
The ecology of viruses
Kirchman, D. L. (2018) · Oxford University Press eBooks · doi:10.1093/oso/9780198789406.003.0010 · Cited by 1 · see citing works

Domain Prokaryota-Taxonomic Delineations
Srivastava, S., & Srivastava, P. S. (2003) · Springer eBooks · doi:10.1007/978-94-017-0129-7_3
The origin and evolution of Archaea: a state of the art
Gribaldo, S., & Brochier‐Armanet, C. (2006) · Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences · doi:10.1098/rstb.2006.1841 · Cited by 286 · see citing works
A methylotrophic origin of methanogenesis and early divergence of anaerobic multicarbon alkane metabolism
Wang, Y., Wegener, G., Williams, T. A., Xie, R., Hou, J., Tian, C., Zhang, Y., Wang, F., & Xiao, X. (2021) · Science Advances · doi:10.1126/sciadv.abj1453 · Cited by 76 · see citing works
Early Microbial Evolution from a Physiological Perspective
Martin, W. F. (2018) · CRC Press eBooks · doi:10.1201/b22399-1 · Cited by 1 · see citing works
Self-citation
Integrative modeling of gene and genome evolution roots the archaeal tree of life
Williams, T. A., Szöllősi, G. J., Spang, A., Foster, P. G., Heaps, S. E., Boussau, B., Ettema, T. J. G., & Embley, T. M. (2017) · Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences · doi:10.1073/pnas.1618463114 · Cited by 233 · see citing works

Authors: Martin, W. F., & Sousa, F. L.
Affiliations: Heinrich Heine University Düsseldorf (DE)
ORCID: Martin, William F.
Sousa, Filipa L.
Venue: Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology
Publisher: Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory
Published: 2015-12-18
Volume: 8
Issue: 2
Pages: a018127
ISSN: 1943-0264 (ISSN-L)
DOI: 10.1101/cshperspect.a018127
PMC: PMC4743081
OpenAlex: W2264374768
Cited by: 129
References: 194
Citations by year: 2026: 6 · 2025: 15 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 8 · 2022: 8 · 2021: 15 · 2020: 11 · 2019: 11 · 2018: 30 · 2017: 8 · 2016: 6 · 2015: 1 · 2012: 1
Type: posted content
Language: en
Open access: bronze
doi.org
Locations: Cold Spring Harbor Perspectives in Biology (publishedVersion)
Europe PMC (PubMed Central) (publishedVersion)
PubMed Central (publishedVersion)
PubMed (publishedVersion)
Topics: Physical Sciences › Physics and Astronomy › Astronomy and Astrophysics › Origins and Evolution of Life
Life Sciences › Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology › Molecular Biology › Protist diversity and phylogeny
Physical Sciences › Environmental Science › Ecology › Microbial Community Ecology and Physiology
Keywords: anaerobic bacteria, origin of life, archaea, methanogenic archaea, acetogenic bacteria, eukaryotic origin, cytosolic ribosomes, molecular phylogeny, hydrothermal vents, tree of life
MeSH terms: Anaerobiosis, Archaea, Bacteria, Anaerobic, Biological Evolution, Hot Temperature, Prokaryotic Cells, Autotrophic Processes, Heterotrophic Processes

About these checks

Registry, retraction, Cites and statistics results are computed, not judged, with one exception: a printed reference that no index lists is read once by a model before it counts as a citation error. Claims are extracted by a model and kept only when their quote appears verbatim in the text; each cited source is then checked, with a model’s help, for whether it says what the claim relies on. Those verdicts can be wrong — read the claim’s quote and the cited source before relying on one.

Statistics and arithmetic are recomputed, not judged.

Confidence bands are shown only for fields calibrated on our annotated test set. None is calibrated yet, so no band is shown.

What counts as a claim ›How we measure confidence ›How we check this ›

Are you an author, or do you see a problem with this page? Request a review

Early Microbial Evolution: The Age of Anaerobes

Abstract

Integrity signals

Claims the paper makes

Claims other papers make about this one

Cites

Cited by

Related

Record

About these checks