How these strange cells may explain the origin of complex life

The Asgard archaea bear traits that hint at how eukaryotes first emerged

An illustration of a green microbe

Microbes first found around hydrothermal vents offer clues to how all complex life may have emerged on Earth – and maybe beyond.

Marina Muun

In many submerged regions, murky mud shelters strange life-forms that seem to be the key to one of the biggest mysteries of life on Earth.