Sad news spread throughout the scientific community as 2012 came to a close.

Biophysicist and evolutionary microbiologist Carl Woese died on December 30, 2012. In 1977, Woese discovered a whole new domain of life (the archaea), shaking up our understanding of the evolutionary tree and establishing that all life on earth was related.

Rob wrote about Woese in his book, Every Living Thing, and has re-posted the chapter about Woese in tribute. He writes:

Thank you Carl Woese. Thank you for rearranging the evolutionary tree, that we might see, even if we just as quickly forget, our place in things.

Our friend Jonathan Eisen is aggregating posts, notes and tributes to Carl Woese on his blog, Tree of Life, and has curated a Storify of Woese-related tweets. Read and learn more about the outstanding contributions of this scientific giant.