GoKawiilResearchers film Asgard archaea using dynamic protrusions to crawl
Scientists cultivated the archaea Candidatus Lokiarchaeum ossiferum and Candidatus Micrarchaeum peptidophilum under strict anaerobic conditions and used live-cell imaging to observe their behavior. The study documents that these organisms extend dynamic, arm-like protrusions that enable them to physically crawl, a first direct visual record of locomotion in Asgard archaea.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
Asgard archaea are considered the closest known prokaryotic relatives of eukaryotes, so evidence of active, cytoskeleton-driven movement could reshape ideas about how complex cellular behaviors evolved before the rise of eukaryotic life. The finding may offer researchers a living model for studying the origins of cell motility and structural dynamism long thought unique to more complex organisms.
- Ca. L. ossiferum and Ca. M. peptidophilum were grown in specialized anaerobic media for live imaging.
- Imaging revealed dynamic protrusions that allow these archaea to crawl, not just passively drift.
- The work provides rare direct behavioral evidence in organisms closely linked to eukaryotic ancestry.
Source: nature.com — Radler, 2026-09-30
Published there as: “Dynamic protrusions mediate crawling motility in Asgard archaea”
Read the original report → The summary and analysis above are GoKawiil's own, written from reporting by the source above. Facts and quotes belong to the original publisher.