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Modern scientists have adopted a three-domain system consisting of the domains: Eukarya, Bacteria, and Archaea. A domain is a classification level higher than kingdoms. Previously, scientists used a five-kingdom-system consisting of the kingdoms: Plantae, Animalia, Fungi, Protista, and Monera (archaea + bacteria). This system was based off things such as nutrition; for example, plants are autotrophs and animals are heterotrophs. The modern system using domains presents different conclusions about the relationships among living organisms than those presented using the five-kingdom-system of classification. For example, all prokaryotes including archaea and bacteria were placed in a kingdom called Monera; however, evidence shows how archaea may be more closely related to eukaryotes than to bacteria. Archaea and eukaryotes both do not contain peptidoglycan, they use Methionine as an initiator amino acid for protein synthesis, do not respond to antibiotics, use similar enzymes for the building of RNA, and have histones associated with their DNA. In addition, this modern classification system proposes eukaryotes are more closely related to each other than Prokaryotes are to each other. This is because eukaryotes evolved more recently and reproduce/divide less often than prokaryotes, leaving a lower chance for mutations and natural selection to act upon the species. Also, prokaryotes are not monophyletic, meaning they dont share a common ancestral species, because prokaryotes split early in the history of living things forming more than one lineage. Lastly, this system suggested that there was a common ancestor for all extant organisms. Many types of evidence including molecular, genetic, structural, etc. were used to develop the three-domain-system. First, the domains archaea and bacteria reproduce by binary fission and eukaryotes reproduce by mitosis/meiosis. Binary fission means the organisms reproduce asexually and practically make clones of them. However, mitosis is a form of sexual

reproduction were the cell goes through a series of stages to replicate DNA and chromosomes resulting in a parent and daughter cell. Secondly, the domains genetic material and the processing of that material differ. For example, Archaea and bacteria have circular DNA; eukaryotes have linear chromosomes. The DNA of prokaryotes can be packed into one chromosome because they have fewer genes because they are less complex. Eukaryotes generally have many more genes and these genes are spread across multiple chromosomes. However, Archaea and eukaryotes have histones and many types of similar RNA. Thirdly, eukaryotes have membrane bound organelles while prokaryotes do not. Eukaryotic cells are much more complex than prokaryotic cells, so they need compartmentalization to regulate what comes in and out of them. Prokaryotes do not have organelles because the cytoplasm does the metabolic work. Over a billion years ago lived the universal ancestor of the three domains. This ancestor was probably anaerobic, meaning it did not use oxygen for respiration because early Earth did not have O2; because in the lab, it was shown that O2 inhibits the formation of amino acids. This ancestor was likely surrounded by a cellular semi-permeable membrane composed of a lipid bilayer. The lipid bilayer protects the cell from the outside environment and is universal in all Earth organisms. In addition, the ancestor had no complex organelles except ribosomes or some translational unit to make proteins. Lastly, the ancestor had a carbon-based metabolism were glucose could be used as a source of energy and ATP was used as an energy intermediate.