“The new data leave only one conclusion. The bacterial and archaeal lineages made the transition to the free-living state independently. Only free-living cells are alive. Let's call it by name: We are looking at one origin of the genetic code, but two origins of life.”

William Martin · said date not stated · reported 2026-08-05

Martin concludes that bacterial and archaeal lineages independently transitioned to free-living states, implying two origins of life but one origin of the genetic code.