Biologists at the California Academy of Sciences have discovered a new life form and collected a sample specimen that appears to have a cell membrane and ribosomes, but * *no* * mitochondria or chloroplasts. This specimen could be ...

Prokaryote

Explanation:

Two types of organisms exist on the Earth which is: the prokaryotes and the Eukaryotes.

The prokaryotes can be easily distinguished from the eukaryotes as the prokaryotes lack the organelles found in the eukaryotes. The reason for this is that the prokaryotes evolved much earlier than the eukaryotes and the eukaryotes evolved from the prokaryotes.

In the given question, since the new specimen lacks the chloroplast and mitochondria (organelles) present in the eukaryotes but posses the cell membrane and the ribosomes, therefore, the specimen could most possibly be the prokaryote.

Thus, Prokaryote is correct.