Public Lecture Series 2026

Title: 

Searching for our Microbial Ancestors 

Abstract:

All complex, eukaryotic life on Earth including plants and animals evolved from prokaryotes, but how the first eukaryotic cell was formed is one of biology’s greatest mysteries. Asgard archaea are the closest known microbial ancestors of eukaryotes and likely played a central role as the host cell in eukaryogenesis. Consequently, deeper understanding of Asgards shed light on the processes and conditions that led to the emergence of the first complex eukaryotic cell. Join Emily Hyde, PhD Candidate in the Baker Marine Microbial Ecology and Evolution Lab for an exciting exploration of Asgard archaea, our current knowledge of eukaryogenesis and what questions remain. Discover how ongoing research efforts are expanding our understanding, including an in-depth look at a recent interdisciplinary cruise in the Southern Atlantic Ocean aboard the R/V Falkor (too) led by Dr. Brett Baker in search of our microbial ancestors. 

Biography: 

Emily Hyde is an Ecology, Evolution and Behavior PhD Candidate in Dr. Brett Baker’s Lab at the University of Texas at Austin. She holds a B.S.A.G. in Environmental Science from Oklahoma State University and an M.S. in Water Resources Science from University of Minnesota Duluth. Emily is an aquatic microbial ecologist with research interests focused on biogeochemical cycling, microbial communities in extreme environments, eukaryogenesis, syntrophy and the roles of uncultivated organisms in cycling. Emily’s current work utilizing computational approaches focuses on microbially mediated carbon cycling in Guaymas Basin hydrothermal vent sediments and Asgard archaea in coastal waters of the Southern Atlantic Ocean.