Abstract
Life can be defined as a material system that fills the following three conditions simultaneously; (i) it makes and maintains by itself the system that has a specific attribute to be termed so-called “life”, (ii) it should replicate and reproduce by itself descendants, and (iii) it can evolve with time. The first such organized system, proto-cell, appeared in primitive sea about four billion years ago. Proto-cells are Prokaryotic in cellular organization and belong to the bacterial world. A remarkable feature of prokaryotic cells is that the nucleoid area containing the genome is not surrounded by a nuclear membrane. In contrast, the genome in eukaryotic cells is located in a nucleus, (mitochondria and chloroplasts possess also DNAs), surrounded by generally two (an inner and outer) nuclear membranes.
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Nakamura, H. (1999). From Bacteria to Protista. In: Seckbach, J. (eds) Enigmatic Microorganisms and Life in Extreme Environments. Cellular Origin and Life in Extreme Habitats, vol 1. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4838-2_4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-011-4838-2_4
Publisher Name: Springer, Dordrecht
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