re: Two lifeforms merge in once-in-a-billion-years evolutionary event

Eventually we are going to all become zombie mushrooms, aren't we?

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it occurs when one microbial organism engulfs another, and starts using it like an internal organ

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I’m not sure why, but this sentence terrifies me on some weird existential level, as if some alien organism could use me as its internal organ.

I have a transgender muscadine bush.

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In the 4-billion-odd-year history of life on Earth, primary endosymbiosis is thought to have only happened twice that we know of

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If the theory of evolution is true, and this type of giant leap has only happened twice, and even then it just resulted in plants, how did we go from this….



To this…

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And now, scientists have discovered that it’s happening again. A species of algae called Braarudosphaera bigelowii was found to have engulfed a cyanobacterium that lets them do something that algae, and plants in general, can’t normally do – "fixing" nitrogen straight from the air, and combining it with other elements to create more useful compounds.

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In unrelated news, we've been seeing an upward trend in the frequency and size of algae blooms. More at 6.

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In the 4-billion-odd-year history of life on Earth, primary endosymbiosis is thought to have only happened twice that we know of, and each time was a massive breakthrough for evolution. The first occurred about 2.2 billion years ago, when an archaea swallowed a bacterium that became the mitochondria. This specialized energy-producing organelle allowed for basically all complex forms of life to evolve. It remains the heralded "powerhouse of the cell" to this day.

The second time happened about 1.6 billion years ago, when some of these more advanced cells absorbed cyanobacteria that could harvest energy from sunlight. These became organelles called chloroplasts, which gave sunlight-harvesting abilities, as well as a fetching green color, to a group of lifeforms you might have heard of – plants

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So plants will eventually start taking nitrogen straight out of the atmosphere? I wonder what they are going to put out in exchange?


I hope it's nitrous oxide and "huffing plants" becomes a thing.

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Two lifeforms merge in once-in-a-billion-years evolutionary event...

...Scientists have caught a once-in-a-billion-years evolutionary event in progress!!!]

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One organism swallows another -- and it's called "Evolution" IN PROGRESS? Imagine THAT!

Scientists claim this was a "once-in-a-billion years" event -- and Scientists just happened to catch it unfold! BRAVO!! What an AMAZING coincidence! (What were the odds??)

Y'all see what's going on here, right? (Good thing for that little arrow thingy.) So set your watches to 4.4 billion years (ad change) and this new creature will "evolve" into a Washington DC politician. A rodent. Or cockroach. (Meh -- Let's just leave it to "Scientism" to resolve the final product.)




ALSO a once-in-a-billion-years odds: The play-by-play call from Suzyn Waldman and John Sterling:


"Holy sh#, Suzyn!! Can you believe what we just saw?? That's was a Braarudosphaera bigelowii that just engulfed a cyanobacterium!. You don't see that every day. They call that 'Evolution', Suzyn."

"Goodness Gracious, John. Of all the dramatic things I've ever seen -- Braarudosphaera bigelowii algae absorbing the cyanobacterium, evolving into life is the second greatest thing I've ever seen in my life! But of all the dramatic things I've ever seen - - Roger Clemens standing right in George Steinbrenner's box announcing he is back is still #1!!"