Scientists have created a new tree of life showing the relationships among all known living things, which taxonomists typically classify into one of three domains: eukaryotes, bacteria, and archaea. One of this new tree’s largest branches consists of bacteria that are essentially new to science, according to a study published today (April 11) inNature Microbiology.
“The significant feature [of the tree] is so many of the major lineages have no isolated representatives”—that is, that none of their species been cultured individually in the laboratory, saidJillian Banfield of the University of California, Berkeley, who led the work. “Much of the world around us is populated by organisms we know nothing about,” she added.
“It’s a great step forward,” said the Florida Museum of Natural History’s Doug Soltis