Hiking scientist discovers bizarre new microbes

[UM-Bot]

The organisms, which sit on a 'major new branch' of the tree of life, were found in woodland in Nova Scotia.

https://www.unexplained-mysteries.com/news/323410/hiking-scientist-discovers-bizarre-new-microbes

[Carlos Allende]

There's just one thing I don't understand:

4 hours ago, UM-Bot said:

which sit on a 'major new branch' of the tree of life, were found in woodland

is this a pun or a literal statement that accidentally _sounds_ like a pun?

[Twin]

I thought it was an optical illusion, but it turns out that it just looks like one.

[Mike Fox]

This is exactly the sort of discovery I have been expecting, and I think that more "new branches" will be found now that DNA analysis on trace samples is both quick and effective.

I've long believed that if alien civilisations had ever visited earth, then "inadvertent passenger" organisms could have arrived with them, survived on the planet, and their descendents remain today, with DNA that has no earthly comparisons.

While these organisms are almost certainly of earthly origin, I believe that this concept of seeking unrecognisable DNA could be an additional way of seeking extra-terrestrial life forms.

This predisposes that DNA is the best organic molecule for life universally, but a billion years of evolution on Earth has not resulted in anything better, so far...

Looking at the burden of proof, this is an organism with no real relatives or evidenced ancestry, and verified as not being a plant, animal, fungus, etc. Just how "alien" does an organism have to be, to become labelled non-terrestrial in origin? This question might already be resolved in this particular case, but a situation might arise soon where carefully pre-defined critera for evidence of non-terrestrial origin will be invaluable.