Evolution · 1article

Researchers conducted a groundbreaking study on a bacterium with a minimal genome. They observed that despite a loss of fitness during genome minimisation, the minimal cell evolved and regained its lost fitness over 2,000 generations. The study revealed that evolution persisted even in the absence of backup genes, challenging previous assumptions. These findings have significant implications for understanding the adaptability of organisms with simplified genomes and their relevance to clinical pathogens, host-associated endosymbionts, engineered microorganisms, and the origins of life itself.