Buzz Baum

We are interested in the generation and evolution of cell shape and use archaea as model systems for our research. Specifically, we study Sulfolobus cells from hot springs in Yellowstone National Park to investigate how cell organisation changes as archaea grow and divide. Additionally, we use Asgard archaea from stromatolites in Shark Bay, Australia – our closest prokaryotic relatives – to understand how complex cell organisation arises within microbial communities.

A major focus of our group is cell division – the process by which one cell becomes two. This remarkable event requires all cellular components to be duplicated, physically separated and then rapidly partitioned into two daughter cells. To achieve this, cells rely on cytoskeletal filaments that convert chemical energy into force to drive shape changes, a regulatory system that ensures the precise choreography of events and membrane remodelling to complete the final separation.

By studying the cell biology of these extraordinary organisms, we aim to uncover fundamental aspects of cellular processes that eukaryotes inherited from archaea. Archaea also provide a unique window into some of the more remarkable features of life – for example, the ability to thrive at 75 °C, to engage in symbiotic partnerships and to grow in the absence of oxygen. Finally, this research promises to shed new light on the origins of eukaryotes – one of the greatest mysteries in the history of life on Earth.