Motel room discovery on origins of life
The gist
Scientists turned an $80 motel room in Nags Head, N.C., into a makeshift lab.
The find brings the world's known total of photosynthetic Paulinella species to six.
How it unfolded
- 2025 (spring day last year)Andrew Willoughby drove three and a half hours to a cheap motel in Nags Head, N.C., and texted a stranger he had met online from the parking lot.
- 2025 (spring day last year)Julia Van Etten appeared and ushered Willoughby past a 'Do Not Disturb' sign into one of the motel's $80 rooms, which she had secretly turned into a makeshift lab.
- 2025 (spring day last year)Over the next few days, a small group of scientists led by Dr. Van Etten scoured drops of water for swamp algae.