Thorarchaeota

"Thorarchaeia" is a class within the kingdom Promethearchaeati. The kingdom Promethearchaeati represents the closest prokaryotic relatives of eukaryotes. Since there is such a close relation between the two different domains, it provides further evidence for the two-domain tree of life theory which states that eukaryotes branched from the archaeal domain. Kingdom Promethearchaeati are single cell marine microbes that contain branch-like appendages and have genes that are similar to Eukarya. The kingdom Promethearchaeati is composed of "Thorarchaeia", Promethearchaeia, "Odinarchaeia", and "Heimdallarchaeia". "Thorarchaeia" were first identified from the sulfate-methane transition zone in tidewater sediments. "Thorarchaeia" are widely distributed in marine and freshwater sediments.

== Discovery == "Thorarchaeia" were discovered by analyzing estuary sediments obtained from the White Oak River in North Carolina. Estuaries are brackish bodies of water where fresh and marine water meet, providing a rich and unique area of nutrients. A PhD student at the University of Texas discovered new characteristics of "Thorarchaeia" that live under sediment and with anoxic properties. The graduate students further proved that the archaea aided in the degradation of organic matter, carbon fixation, and sulfur reduction. "Thorarchaeia" genomes that were obtained from the marine appeared to have diversity in metabolic pathways with the potential of degrading and uptaking proteins and carbohydrates.