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Organism Closest To Original "Tree of Life" Discovered

An anonymous reader writes "Scientists have discovered a benign algae eating protozoan in a lake near Oslo, Norway whose gene sequence does not match any known organism living on earth today, and this beasty combines genetic characteristics across plant, animal, and fungal kingdoms. It is believed to be the closest living organism to the original organisms that spawned all animal life on earth."

2 of 198 comments (clear)

  1. Re:really? by MartinSchou · · Score: 5, Insightful

    So, your problem is with the fact that it doesn't match any known organism, because we don't know what else might be out there?

  2. Re:Oblig. by Sique · · Score: 5, Insightful

    No, by definition, a good scientist is good at science. There were deeply religious scientists (Max Planck), there were pathologically paranoid scientists (Kurt Gödel), there were confessedly agnostic scientists (Albert Einstein), there were esoterics (Isaac Newton), pantheists (Gottfried Leibniz) and atheist zealots (Bertrand Russell).

    To believe that a scientist has to have a certain worldview to become a good scientist is a religion in itself.

    --
    .sig: Sique *sigh*