Archaea – An Introduction
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Part of Reference Module in Life Sciences serie. International audience. Archaea are prokaryotic microorganisms that possess distinct molecular characteristics, separating them from both bacteria and eukaryotes. They were described as a separate domain of life by C.R. Woese and coworkers in 1977 following a sequencing comparison of small ribosomal RNAs (rRNA).Archaea possess numerous unique features, including their genetic or structural characteristics. Beyond extremophile, they have been found to be widespread in numerous ecosystems, including the digestive tracts of holobionts. The archaea tree of life is highly dynamic, and novel discoveries fuel hypotheses on the evolution of life on Earth. Archaeal viruses are structurally diverse and not well characterized yet. Due to their unique properties, archaea serve as an excellent tool box for novel applications in biotechnology.
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