Early fossil eukaryotes were benthic aerobes

Nature, Published online: 20 May 2026; doi:10.1038/s41586-026-10533-4

Integrated palaeontological, sedimentological and geochemical analyses of ancient rocks from Australia show that early eukaryotes were largely restricted to oxygenated benthic habitats, probably possessed mitochondria by 1.75 billion years ago, and may have expanded into planktonic habitats much later, perhaps during the Neoproterozoic era.