Definition
The last universal common ancestor (LUCA) is the hypothesized latest common ancestral cell population from which all subsequent life forms descend under the three-domain system of Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. Most studies suggest that the LUCA existed by 3.5 billion years ago, and possibly as early as 4.3 billion years ago or earlier. The nature of this point or stage of divergence remains a topic of research.
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AbiogenesisAcetogenAcetogenesisAcetylAcetyl-CoAAcetyl groupAdaptationAdaptive radiationAdenineAdnaviriaAllopatric speciationAlphasatellitidaeAlternative abiogenesis scenariosAlternatives to Darwinian evolutionAltruism (biology)Amino acidAmpullaviridaeAnaerobic organismAnaerobic respirationAnagenesisAnimalAnisogamyAntagonistic pleiotropy hypothesisAntiporterApicoplastArchaeaArginineArtificial cellAstrobiologyAutotrophAvsunviroidaeBacillotaBacteriaBacterial phylaBacteriomeBaldwin effectBartogtaviriformidaeBasal (phylogenetics)BasaltiviridaeBicaudaviridaeBio-like structureBiodiversityBiogeographyBiological dark matterBiological life cycleBiological processBlending inheritanceBrachygtaviriformidaeByaCODHCRISPRCanalisation (genetics)Cancer cellCanidaeCapsidCarbon dioxideCarbon fixationCarl WoeseCat gapCatagenesis (biology)CatastrophismCell (biology)Cell divisionCell nucleusCellular divisionCellularizationChargaff's rulesCharles DarwinCheating (biology)ChemiosmosisChemotonChloroflexotaChloroplastChromoplastChromosomeCircular chromosomeCladeCladisticsCladogenesisClavaviridaeClonally transmissible cancerClostridiumCo-adaptedCoacervateCoenzyme ACoevolutionCofactor (biochemistry)ColicinCommon ancestryCommon descentConvergent evolutionCooperation (evolution)CorrinCosmidCospeciationCultural evolutionCultural group selectionCytoplasmCytosineDMC1 (gene)DNADNA-binding proteinDNA polymeraseDNA repairDNA replicationDNA topoisomeraseDNA transposonDNA virusDaniel MaziaDarwinian thresholdDarwinismDavid HumeDeathDeep timeDefective interfering particleDenis NobleDialogues Concerning Natural ReligionDinodnavirusDinosaurDivergent evolutionDiversity-generating retroelementDomain (biology)Domestication of the dogDouble-stranded RNA virusesDsDNA-RT virusDual inheritance theoryDuplodnaviriaEarliest known life formsEcological geneticsEcological speciationEfunaviriaEmpathyEndogenous retrovirusEndogenous viral elementEndomembrane systemEndosymbiontEnzymeEpisomeEugene KooninEugene V. KooninEukaryaEukaryotaEukaryoteEurekaviridaeEvidence of common descentEvolutionEvolution of MacropodidaeEvolution of ageingEvolution of bacteriaEvolution of biological complexityEvolution of birdsEvolution of brachiopodsEvolution of butterfliesEvolution of cellsEvolution of cephalopodsEvolution of cetaceansEvolution of color visionEvolution of color vision in primatesEvolution of emotionEvolution of eusocialityEvolution of fishEvolution of flagellaEvolution of fungiEvolution of insectsEvolution of lemursEvolution of mammalian auditory ossiclesEvolution of mammalsEvolution of molluscsEvolution of moralityEvolution of nervous systemsEvolution of primatesEvolution of reptilesEvolution of sexual reproductionEvolution of sireniansEvolution of snake venomEvolution of spidersEvolution of tetrapodsEvolution of the brainEvolution of the eyeEvolution of the horseEvolution of the wolfEvolutionarily stable strategyEvolutionary arms raceEvolutionary biologyEvolutionary developmental biologyEvolutionary ethicsEvolutionary history of plantsEvolutionary ideas of the Scientific Revolution and EnlightenmentEvolutionary invasion analysisEvolutionary medicineEvolutionary mismatchEvolutionary pressureEvolutionary taxonomyEvolutionary tradeoffExaptationExtended evolutionary synthesisExtinctionExtinction eventExtrachromosomal DNAFatty acidFerredoxinFertility factor (bacteria)First universal common ancestorFisher's principleFitness (biology)Flavin mononucleotideFloreoviriaFormamide-based prebiotic chemistryFormateFosmidFossilFrancevillian biotaFungal prionFungusFuselloviridaeGADV-protein world hypothesisGeneGene-centered view of evolutionGene duplicationGene flowGenetic assimilationGenetic codeGenetic driftGenetic recombinationGenetic variationGenomeGenomic islandGerontoplastGiant virusGlobuloviridaeGluconeogenesisGlutamic acidGlycolysisGraham Cairns-SmithGroup II intronGroup I catalytic intronGroup selectionGuanineGuttaviridaeGünter WächtershäuserHairHalspiviridaeHandicap principleHeLaHelper dependent virusHelper virusHeterotrophHistoneHistory of evolutionary thoughtHistory of lifeHistory of molecular evolutionHistory of paleontologyHistory of research into the origin of lifeHologenome theory of evolutionHomology (biology)Horizontal gene transferHot springHuangdiviridaeHuman evolutionHybrid (biology)Hybrid speciationHydrogenHydrogen bondHydrogenosomeHydrothermal ventHyenaImmune systemInbreeding avoidanceIncertae sedisInclusive fitnessIndex of evolutionary biology articlesIndiana UniversityIntegrative and conjugative elementInterspersed repeatIntroduction to evolutionInversion (evolutionary biology)Ion transporterIron–sulfur proteinIron–sulfur world hypothesisIsoleucineIsoprenoidsItzamnaviridaeJan SappJean-Baptiste LamarckJeewanuJelly roll foldJoanna MaselJohn Murray (publishing house)Joseph Dalton HookerKappa organismKin recognitionKin selectionLUCALamarckismLast eukaryotic common ancestorLate Heavy BombardmentLeucineLeucoplastLifeLinear chromosomeLipid bilayerLomiviridaeLuca (disambiguation)MRNAMacroevolutionMagmaMark WheelisMate choiceMating typeMendelian inheritanceMesophileMessenger RNAMetabolic pathwayMetabolismMetagenomicsMethanogenMethanogenesisMethanolMethylationMicrobial dark matterMicroevolutionMicroparticleMiller–Urey experimentMissing heritability problemMitochondrionMitosomeMixotrophMobile genetic elementsMobilomeModel lipid bilayerModels of DNA evolutionModern synthesis (20th century)Modularity (biology)Molecular clockMolecular evolutionMolecular phylogeneticsMolybdopterinMonogamy in animalsMonophyleticMosaic evolutionMulticellular organismMutationMutationismMutualism (biology)Mycoplasma laboratoriumNaldaviricetesNanobacteriumNanobeNatural selectionNature Ecology & EvolutionNature MicrobiologyNeo-DarwinismNeutral theory of molecular evolutionNew ScientistNick LaneNipumfusiviridaeNitrogenNitroplastNon-cellular lifeNon-coding DNANonadaptive radiationNonecological speciationNora NoffkeNucleic acidNucleic acid double helixNucleosideObelisk (biology)ObscuriviridaeOceanOn the Origin of SpeciesOrgan (biology)OrganelleOrganic matterOrganismOrigin and function of meiosisOrigin of DNAOrigin of avian flightOrigin of birdsOrigin of replicationOrthogenesisOtto KandlerOutgroup (cladistics)Outline of evolutionOvaliviridaePAH worldPLOS BiologyPNASPaleoarcheanPaleobiologyPanspermiaParakaryonParallel evolutionParapatric speciationParasitismParental investmentParent–offspring conflictPentose phosphate pathwayPeptide-RNA worldPeripatric speciationPhagemidPhenotypic plasticityPhilosophie zoologiquePhyletic gradualismPhylogenetic bracketingPhylogenetic treePhylogeneticsPhylumPlantPlasmaviridaePlasmidPlastidPleiotropyPleomoviriaPoint mutationPollinator-mediated selectionPolydnaviriformidaePolymorphism (biology)Population (biology)Population geneticsPortogloboviridaePospiviroidaePotassiumPre-cellPrimordial sandwichPrimordial soupPrionProQuestProceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of AmericaProfile BooksProgrammed cell deathProkaryoteProphageProteinProteinoidProtistProto-metabolismProtocellProvirusPseudo-panspermiaPunctuated equilibriumPyruvateQuasispecies modelR-factorRAD51RNARNA-dependent RNA polymeraseRNA polymeraseRNA virusRNA virusesRNA worldRRNARadical (chemistry)RecAReciprocal altruismRed Queen hypothesisRedoxReinforcement (speciation)Repeated sequence (DNA)Replicon (genetics)RetronRetroposonRetrotransposonRetroviroidRetrovirusRetrozymeReverse Krebs cycleReverse gyraseReverse transcriptase-related cellular geneRhizidiovirusRhodogtaviriformidaeRibosomeRiboviriaRibozymeRibozyviriaS-adenosyl methionineSaltation (biology)Satellite (biology)Scientific AmericanSeabedSecondary chromosomeSelective breedingSeleniumSelf-replicationSelfish dnaSex-determination systemSexual dimorphismSexual reproductionSexual selectionSexual selection in flowering plantsSexual selection in fungiSignalling theorySingelaviriaSingle-stranded DNA virusSocial selectionSodiumSpandrel (biology)SpeciationSpeciesSpecies complexSpiegelman's MonsterSpiraviridaeSpontaneous generationStatistical hypothesis testStructuralism (biology)Subviral agentsSulphobesSymbiogenesisSympatric speciationSynthetic virologySystematicsTandem repeatTaxonTeleology in biologyTeleonomyTelomerase reverse transcriptaseTempo and Mode in EvolutionThaspiviridaeThe Vital QuestionThe eclipse of DarwinismTheistic evolutionThermal optimumThermophileThioesterThomas Cavalier-SmithThree-domain systemThymineTi plasmidTimeline of the evolutionary history of lifeTolecusatellitidaeTom Cavalier-SmithTranscription (biology)Transfer RNATransgenerational epigenetic inheritanceTransition metalTransitional fossilTranslation (biology)Transmutation of speciesTransposable elementTranspovironTree of life (biology)Trivers–Willard hypothesisTrophosomeTryptophanTyrosineUniformitarianismUnit of selectionUrmetazoanValineVaridnaviriaVendobiontaVicar of Bray (scientific hypothesis)Viral evolutionViral vectorViriformViroidViromeVirophageVirulence factorVirusVirusoidVitalismVolvereviriaWendy MaoWilliam F. MartinWood–Ljungdahl pathwayXenobotXigoviridaeYamazakiviridae
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