Biology / Bio 1983 · Atom · ~20 seconds
Eukaryotic Characteristics of the Last Common Ancestor
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Comparing living eukaryotic lineages shows their last common ancestor had a nucleus, mitochondria, a cytoskeleton, and histone-organized chromosomes.
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Even eukaryotes that later lost typical mitochondria, such as some anaerobic protists, carry reduced mitochondrial remnants inherited from that shared ancestor.
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A trait's absence in one living lineage does not mean the last common ancestor lacked it— losses happen after divergence, not before.