What are archaea?

Archaea are particularly numerous in the oceans, and the archaea in plankton may be one of the most abundant groups of organisms on the planet. Archaea are a major part of Earth's life and may play roles in both the carbon cycle and the nitrogen cycle. read more

Archaea are thought to be significant in global geochemical cycling, since they comprise an estimated 20 percent of the world's biomass; however, very little is known about the domain, especially marine and deep-sea benthic varieties. read more

Archaea: Archaea, (domain Archaea), any of a group of single-celled prokaryotic organisms (that is, organisms whose cells lack a defined nucleus) that have distinct molecular characteristics separating them from bacteria (the other, more prominent group of prokaryotes) as well as from eukaryotes (organisms, read more