Thermophilic microorganisms can live at high temperatures, but the origin and evolution of this ability are unclear. Here, the authors isolate a thermophilic bacterium from a deep-sea hydrothermal vent, and show it belongs to a major early-diverging lineage whose ancestor was likely also a thermophilic bacterium.
- Hao Leng
- Yinzhao Wang
- Xiang Xiao
