If complex cells arose via ‘standard’ natural selection, in which genetic mutations give rise to variations acted upon by natural selection, then we would expect to see a mixed bag of internal structures, as varied as the external appearance of cells. Eukaryotic cells are wonderfully varied in their size and shape, from giant leaf-like algal cells

To use the parlance, they were outcompeted to extinction.

An ecological intermediate is not a true missing link but it proves that a certain niche, a way of life, is viable. A flying squirrel is not closely related to other flying vertebrates such as bats or birds, but it demonstrates that gliding flight between trees is possible without fully fledged wings.

population of morphologically complex eukaryotic cells arose on a single occasion – and all plants, animals, algae and fungi evolved from this founder population. Any common ancestor is by definition a singular entity – not a single cell, but a single population of essentially identical cells. That does not in itself mean that the origin of complex