Horizontal gene transfer events — the exchange of genetic material between organisms — can be used to date the timeline of evolution of microorganisms that lack a fossil record.
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Paleozoic diversification of terrestrial chitin-degrading bacterial lineages
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dos Reis, M. Fossil-free dating. Nat Ecol Evol 2, 771–772 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0532-4
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41559-018-0532-4
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Paleozoic diversification of terrestrial chitin-degrading bacterial lineages
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