New organism with virus-like traits redefines what it means to be alive

New organism with virus-like traits redefines what it means to be alive

In the vast and often unseen world of microscopic life, a recent discovery may force scientists to rethink what it means to be alive. Nestled inside a tiny plankton cell, researchers found a remarkably small organism unlike anything seen before. Named Candidatus Sukunaarchaeum mirabile, this strange microbe has such a stripped-down genome that it challenges the long-held distinction between living cells and viruses. The discovery was made by Ryo…