Uploaded October 2020 | Updated September 2026, 3 weeks ago
Dipti Nayak, Ph.D., explains how the mysterious #microbes known as archaea are helping scientists rewrite the tree of life.
Before 1977, all life on Earth was classified into two groups: single-celled microorganisms and complex cellular life such as fungi, plants, and animals. A seminal discovery in 1977 rewrote the tree of life and introduced a whole new domain of organisms known as the archaea - mysterious microbes that are genetically distinct from bacteria. Fast forward to the 21st century, and again new discoveries about archaea are leading scientists to reshape the tree of life and rewrite the evolutionary history of complex organisms. Nayak introduces the fascinating organisms known as archaea and explains how they are helping scientists answer the question "Where do we come from?".
0:00 Introduction - Archaea and the Tree of Life
1:49 A New Branch
7:39 A New Tree: Asgard-Loki
Speaker Biography:
Dipti Nayak received her PhD in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University in 2014. She performed postdoctoral research at the University of Illinois, where she studied the physiology and evolution of methanogenic archaea. The Nayak lab at UC Berkeley employs genetic, genomic, and biochemical tools to study the physiology, metabolism, evolution, and cell biology of methanogenic archaea. https://mcb.berkeley.edu/faculty/ggd/nayakd
Website: ibiology.org/microbiology/archaea
Credits:
Elliot Kirschner (Wonder Collaborative): Executive Producer
Shannon Behrman (iBiology): Executive Producer
Brittany Anderton (iBiology): Producer
Eric Kornblum (iBiology): Editor, Videographer
Derek Reich (ZooPrax Productions): Videographer
Adam Bolt (The Edit Center): Editor
Gb Kim (Explorer’s Guide to Biology): Illustrations
Chris George: Design and Graphics
Maggie Hubbard: Design and Graphics
#evolution #science #microbiology
Dipti Nayak, Ph.D., explains how the mysterious #microbes known as archaea are helping scientists rewrite the tree of life.
Before 1977, all life on Earth was classified into two groups: single-celled microorganisms and complex cellular life such as fungi, plants, and animals. A seminal discovery in 1977 rewrote the tree of life and introduced a whole new domain of organisms known as the archaea - mysterious microbes that are genetically distinct from bacteria. Fast forward to the 21st century, and again new discoveries about archaea are leading scientists to reshape the tree of life and rewrite the evolutionary history of complex organisms. Nayak introduces the fascinating organisms known as archaea and explains how they are helping scientists answer the question "Where do we come from?".
0:00 Introduction - Archaea and the Tree of Life
1:49 A New Branch
7:39 A New Tree: Asgard-Loki
Speaker Biography:
Dipti Nayak received her PhD in Organismic and Evolutionary Biology from Harvard University in 2014. She performed postdoctoral research at the University of Illinois, where she studied the physiology and evolution of methanogenic archaea. The Nayak lab at UC Berkeley employs genetic, genomic, and biochemical tools to study the physiology, metabolism, evolution, and cell biology of methanogenic archaea. https://mcb.berkeley.edu/faculty/ggd/nayakd
Website: ibiology.org/microbiology/archaea
Credits:
Elliot Kirschner (Wonder Collaborative): Executive Producer
Shannon Behrman (iBiology): Executive Producer
Brittany Anderton (iBiology): Producer
Eric Kornblum (iBiology): Editor, Videographer
Derek Reich (ZooPrax Productions): Videographer
Adam Bolt (The Edit Center): Editor
Gb Kim (Explorer’s Guide to Biology): Illustrations
Chris George: Design and Graphics
Maggie Hubbard: Design and Graphics
#evolution #science #microbiology
