The study, led by biologists at Harvard University, found that the slugs build sac-like structures known as kleptosomes out of their own cells in which the chloroplasts are stashed. The kleptosomes ...

A new study led by Harvard biologists describes how some sea slugs consume algae and incorporate their photosynthetic ...

Science X is a network of high quality websites with most complete and comprehensive daily coverage of the full sweep of ...

Does this also explain why there are no aliens? Around 2 billion years ago, life had plateaued in complexity, ruined the atmosphere, and was on the verge of self-annihilation. But then something ...

This type of relationship even has a fancy name – endosymbiosis - which describes the situation where one organism lives inside another one in a relationship which benefits both. And for many years it ...

Scientists tapped into a gene mutation in the calcium-signaling pathway of plants to enhance endosymbiosis. This approach was successful in farming conditions, which could allow for a natural ...

Due to its ability to increase nutrient uptake and stress resilience, root endosymbiosis is highly beneficial to plants. As a result, there is an increasing need to develop high-yielding, disease ...

Endosymbiosis is the foundation of complex, multicellular life as we know it, giving rise to the mitochondria and chloroplasts that power cells in plants, animals and fungi.

By inducing endosymbiosis, researchers could potentially engineer plants to metabolize pollutants or manufacture medicines. “It will take time to design and to really tune the systems,” she added.

Endosymbiosis has played a crucial role in the evolutionary narrative of many life forms. For instance, mitochondria, known as the powerhouses of cells, originated as independent bacteria, while ...