This page contains an article about the nature of the last universal common ancestor (LUCA). Topics covered include an introduction to the three domains of life and LUCA, the search for a minimal set of universally shared genes, the prevalence of lateral gene transfer, challenges in rooting the tree of life, possible bacterial-archaeal fusion as the origin of eukaryotes. There are also links to several external images/websites, an appendix explaining translation, an extensive bibliography, plus author-recommended additional reading. This is a good resource for advanced undergraduate or graduate students.
Subject: Biology:Microbiology, Molecular Biology, Evolution:Processes, Patterns, Biology:Diversity, Evolution, Biology Resource Type: Scientific Resources:Bibliography, Overview/Reference Work, Scientific Resources Grade Level: College Lower (13-14):College Introductory, College Upper (15-16), College Lower (13-14), High School (9-12) Earth System Topics: Evolution, Biosphere, Diversity Theme: Teach the Earth:Teaching Environments:Intro GeoscienceKeywords: LUCA, last universal common ancestor, tree of life, lateral gene transfer, minimal genome,
