The Molecular History of Eukaryotic Life A life long project
David Nelson Dec. 7, 2000 This page announces the beginning of a comprehensive description of the molecular events that have occurred in eukaryotic life leading to the present day diversity. This should occupy my fascination with this subject for the next twenty years. I would encourage others with a like mind to join me in this project to provide the detailed step by step transitions from the earliest amitochondriate cells to the marvels of extant protostomes and deuterostomes. I am interested in the identifcation and description of the origins of novel processes like the appearance of the HOX genes and the unique molecular events that have happened in specific lineages. One example is the fusion of two great ape chromosomes to reduce the number from 24 pairs to the 23 that are seen in humans. This single event defined our hominid lineage. There is a vast history to outline, going back two billion years or more. If you are interested and have a favorite example, send me an email. My email address is

clickable

David Nelson   dnelson@utmem.edu

My phone is (901) 448-8303 My FAX is (901) 448-7360

Introduction The Synapomorphies Return to index