As far as the building blocks of life are concerned, one reality has remained intact that oxygen is the most essential component for survival. Whether it’s humans, animals, or plants, the element fuels life as we know it, helping the cells of the body to convert nutrients into energy.
Our bodies, for example, rely on aerobic respiration ,a process where oxygen is taken in, to power every heartbeat, every movement, every thought. Without it, most life would come to a swift halt. It’s a principle that scientists have long considered universal for animals. Until a surprising discovery challenged this basic assumption.
A surprising discovery has come to light!
Researchers have found the first known multicellular animal that does not breathe oxygen. The microscopic parasite c
, which lives inside the muscles of salmon fish, has shocked scientists by surviving without the element we all thought was essential to life. This surprising study was published on February 25 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) and conducted by scientists from Tel Aviv University , led by Professor Dorothee Huchon of the Department of Zoology.
What is this parasite like?
The parasite, which is no larger than a few cells, belongs to the same group of animals as jellyfish and coral. But what makes it extraordinary is that, unlike any known animal, it has evolved to completely abandon the use of oxygen.
Over time, it appears to have shed the genes and cellular structures responsible for aerobic respiration. “Aerobic respiration was thought to be ubiquitous in animals, but now we confirmed that this is not the case,” Huchon said in a news release from Tel Aviv University. “Our discovery shows that evolution can go in strange directions. Aerobic respiration is a major source of energy, and yet we found an animal that gave up this critical pathway.”
While single-celled organisms such as fungi, amoebas, and ciliates have previously been known to survive in oxygen-free environments, this marks the first time such a trait has been identified in a multicellular animal. The researchers believe H. salminicola adapted this way due to its habitat, which was an anaerobic environment where oxygen is scarce or completely absent.
Why does the organism not use oxygen for breathing?
During their research, the team discovered that the parasite lacks a mitochondrial genome. Mitochondria, often referred to as the “powerhouses” of the cell, are vital for aerobic respiration. Their absence in H. salminicola confirmed that the animal no longer uses oxygen to produce energy. “It’s not yet clear to us how the parasite generates energy,” Huchon admitted. “It may be drawing it from the surrounding fish cells, or it may have a different type of respiration such as oxygen-free breathing, which typically characterizes anaerobic non-animal organisms.”
This exception also disrupts another long-standing belief in biology that evolution always drives organisms toward greater complexity. “But here, right before us, is an animal whose evolutionary process is the opposite,” said Huchon. “Living in an oxygen-free environment , it has shed unnecessary genes responsible for aerobic respiration and become an even simpler organism.”
Credits: X/ LiveScience
Our bodies, for example, rely on aerobic respiration ,a process where oxygen is taken in, to power every heartbeat, every movement, every thought. Without it, most life would come to a swift halt. It’s a principle that scientists have long considered universal for animals. Until a surprising discovery challenged this basic assumption.
A surprising discovery has come to light!
Researchers have found the first known multicellular animal that does not breathe oxygen. The microscopic parasite c
, which lives inside the muscles of salmon fish, has shocked scientists by surviving without the element we all thought was essential to life. This surprising study was published on February 25 in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America (PNAS) and conducted by scientists from Tel Aviv University , led by Professor Dorothee Huchon of the Department of Zoology. What is this parasite like?
The parasite, which is no larger than a few cells, belongs to the same group of animals as jellyfish and coral. But what makes it extraordinary is that, unlike any known animal, it has evolved to completely abandon the use of oxygen.
Over time, it appears to have shed the genes and cellular structures responsible for aerobic respiration. “Aerobic respiration was thought to be ubiquitous in animals, but now we confirmed that this is not the case,” Huchon said in a news release from Tel Aviv University. “Our discovery shows that evolution can go in strange directions. Aerobic respiration is a major source of energy, and yet we found an animal that gave up this critical pathway.”
While single-celled organisms such as fungi, amoebas, and ciliates have previously been known to survive in oxygen-free environments, this marks the first time such a trait has been identified in a multicellular animal. The researchers believe H. salminicola adapted this way due to its habitat, which was an anaerobic environment where oxygen is scarce or completely absent.
Why does the organism not use oxygen for breathing?
During their research, the team discovered that the parasite lacks a mitochondrial genome. Mitochondria, often referred to as the “powerhouses” of the cell, are vital for aerobic respiration. Their absence in H. salminicola confirmed that the animal no longer uses oxygen to produce energy. “It’s not yet clear to us how the parasite generates energy,” Huchon admitted. “It may be drawing it from the surrounding fish cells, or it may have a different type of respiration such as oxygen-free breathing, which typically characterizes anaerobic non-animal organisms.”
This exception also disrupts another long-standing belief in biology that evolution always drives organisms toward greater complexity. “But here, right before us, is an animal whose evolutionary process is the opposite,” said Huchon. “Living in an oxygen-free environment , it has shed unnecessary genes responsible for aerobic respiration and become an even simpler organism.”
Credits: X/ LiveScience
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