الأقرباء

Since the time of Charles Darwin, people have been speculating about the evolutionary relationship between different species, including the relationship with various life forms called microorganisms. In the 1970s, biologists discovered a method of consolidating this kinship relationship. This new era of exploration began when Linus Pauling found that every protein in every cell contains a huge evolutionary history library. His discovery opened up a research path that changed the way biologists and others in the world think.In the book before us, the author tells the stories of these wonderful scientific breakthroughs. It records in an easy to understand way how we understand the microbial heritage and the relationships between all living organisms on Earth.Among the most revolutionary scientific achievements, Carl Woods discovered that a large number of organisms previously classified as bacteria were actually a completely different form of life, now known as "archaea". But the most important achievement was the construction of the Tree of Life - an evolutionary project that Darwin dreamed of more than a century ago - and today we know that the three main trunks of this tree are dominated by microorganisms.