Our microbial ancestors were probably oxygen-tolerant

This is a summary of: Appler, K.

E.

et al.

Oxygen metabolism in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor.

Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-026-10128-z (2026) .

Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals
Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription
Receive 51 print issues and online access
Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkout
doi: https://doi.org/10.1038/d41586-026-00718-2
‘Expert opinion’ is published under a CC BY 4.0 licence.

Baker, B.

J.

et al.

Nature Microbiol.

5 , 887–900 (2020).

Eme, L.

et al.

Nature 618 , 992–999 (2023).

Sagan, L.

J.

Theor.

Biol.

14 , 255–274 (1967).

Craig, J.

M., Kumar, S.

& Hedges, S.

B.

Front.

Bioinform.

3 , 1233281 (2023).

Dombrowski, N., Teske, A.

P.

& Baker, B.

J.

Nature Commun.

9 , 4999 (2018).

Read the paper: Oxygen metabolism in descendants of the archaeal-eukaryotic ancestor
Genomic clues to the origin of eukaryotic cells
Mysterious Asgard archaea microbes reveal their inner secrets
A single course of antibiotics can cause lingering changes in gut microbes
Gut microbes affect cognition during ageing
Memory loss is fuelled by gut microbes in ageing mice
Paul R.

Ehrlich obituary: pioneering ecologist who caused controversy by predicting a ‘population bomb’
Local agricultural transition, crisis and migration in the Southern Andes
Adaptive evolution of gene regulatory networks in mammalian neocortex
Data from smart watches reveal early signs of insulin resistance
Youthful antics predict lifespan — at least for these fish
No such thing as a shark?

Genomes shake up ocean predator’s family tree
Join HZAU's global faculty team to advance research with competitive benefits.

Huazhong Agricultural University (HZAU)
The Stomatology Hospital, School of Stomatology, Zhejiang University School of Medicine(ZJUSS)
IRB Barcelona invites applications for Group Leader positions in Chemical Biology (one) and Structural Biology (one).

Barcelona (Provincia), Cataluña (ES)
Fundació Institut de Recerca Biomèdica (IRB Barcelona)
The Paris Brain Institute invites expressions of interest from internationally recognized senior and mid-career researchers.

Full Professorship (W3) for ‚Clinical Epidemiology of Early Cancer Detection’ (f/m/d) We are looking for a highly distinguished physician scientist...

Heidelberg, Baden-Württemberg (DE)
Medizinische Fakultät Mannheim der Universität Heidelberg