Our lab is interested in the molecular biology and physiology of the Archaea. The Archaea have a distinct evolutionary position, separate from Bacteria and Eukarya, and possess a mosaic of molecular properties. To better understand the unique physiology of the archaeal cell, we are examining two systems where there is a close relationship to eukaryal processes: transcription regulation and the maturation of stable RNAs. We are also interested in the comparative genome analysis and the evolutionary events that have shaped extant archaeal genomes.