See the intricate worlds of parasites and algae — March’s best science images The month’s sharpest science shots, selected by Nature’s photo team.

Our ExM Atlas of eukaryotes is moving along with more and more images coming in - some featured in nature last month!
Culture we’re provided by @ccapoban.bsky.social & Julius Lukeš during visits last year

www.nature.com/immersive/d4...

Please join us tomorrow morning (9 AM CEST) to hear about Rocío Mozo Muñoz's work on the phylogenomics of Symbiodiniaceae (from the lab of @fonamental.bsky.social)

#protistsonsky

a simplified evolutionary tree of eukaryotes with pictures of various microbes

New #ISEPpapers #preprint by @deemteam.bsky.social: Re-evaluating the eukaryotic Tree of Life with independent phylogenomic data www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

#Protists #Microbes #Evolution #Eukaryotes #TreeOfLife #Phylogeny #Phylogenomics #Bioinformatics #Algae

We all know #fungi are the dominant microbial #eukaryotes in #forest #soils… or are they really?
In our new paper, we revisited 51 forest metatranscriptomes from 4 European and North American forest regions - and found that protistan predators outshine fungi in activity!

A phylogenetic classification of diatoms (Bacillariophyta) Diatoms are known for their extraordinary species richness, cornerstone roles in aquatic ecosystems, and immense contributions to the global cycling of carbon, oxygen, and silica. For nearly 2 centur....

Our phylogenetic classification of >400 diatom genera is now published in Journal of Phycology.
onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

MicroSEA (Microbial Sea Eukaryotes) course is a one-week, field-based summer school to train early-career researchers in the diversity, ecology, and single-cell biology of marine protists. MicroSEA course integrates lectures, field sampling, and lab-based practicals in advanced techniques, such as flow cytometry, microscopy, culturing, and molecular analysis. The main objectives of MicroSEA course are: Fostering a deep understanding of marine protist diversity, ecology and biology; Providing hands-on training in advanced single-cell methods that are not commonly available in university programs; Building participants' confidence in designing and conducting research projects from field to data analysis; Promoting international collaborations and peer networking among students and speakers/trainers. The course will take place at the Station Biologique de Roscoff - SBR (France) - 7th to 12th of June, 2026 (arrival on the 6th, departure on the 13th). 20 participants will be selected, including 10 from EuroMarine member institutes. https://opbc.sciencesconf.org/

Protist lovers: Please apply for a week of rhapsody! Learn by doing:

MicroSEA (Microbial Sea Eukaryotes) course is a one-week, field-based summer school to train early-career researchers in the diversity, ecology, and single-cell biology of marine protists. opbc.sciencesconf.org

#protistsonsky

Why did consciousness evolve at all? A superb special issue of @royalsocietypublishing.org brings together experts across disciplines to explore the functions of consciousness and why it emerged in some species but not others. @tecumsehfitch.bsky.social royalsocietypublishing.org/rstb/issue/3...

Left: schematic evolutionary tree of eukaryotes highlighting the position of apusomonads close to opisthokonts. Right: Simple schematic representation of the cell of apusomonads.

Discovery of a photophobic response in #Apusomonads reveals insights into Opisthokont origins phys.org/news/2026-02...

New #ISEPpapers! Photophobic response in Podomonas kaiyoae is mediated by coordination of cilia, actin filaments: Aika Shibata et al. www.nature.com/articles/s42...

#Protists

Comparative Genomics of Unicellular Eukaryotes (San Feliu, Spain):
Abstract submission is open, with a short deadline! comparativegenomics2026.com

Join us as we explore the most diverse, surprising, and still largely uncharted branches of the eukaryotic tree.

The day is finally here!! On behalf of all the co-organizers the Comparative Genomics of Unicellular Eukaryotes website is open.

comparativegenomics2026.com

Invited speakers will be added to the website in the coming weeks. Watch this (well, that^) space!

Our research scientist Núria Ros-Rocher won the 1st prize @zeiss-microscopy.bsky.social microscopy contest with this beautiful choano colony www.zeiss.fr/microscopie/... 🥳

C. flexa might not yet be a genetic model, but it is now at least a calendar model, which counts for something. I think.

Evolutionary cell biology comes of age Summary: This Perspective discusses how the discipline of evolutionary cell biology, by integrating evolutionary theory, comparative physiology and modern molecular approaches, works to understand how...

Thanks @jcellsci.bsky.social for this opportunity to contribute to your centenary collection with our take on the state of the field - 10 years after its modern reincarnation 🧪🌍

W/ @alebenoit.bsky.social @eelcotromer.bsky.social @fritzlaylin.bsky.social

journals.biologists.com/jcs/article/...

Lets find a culture! They are a scarce sadly…

Are you very busy but still want to learn what Aphelids are and why they are important to understand the evolution of Fungi?
Then check out our “Quick guide” on Aphelids published in collaboration with @deemteam.bsky.social, Sergey and Guifré. #protistsonsky
doi.org/10.1016/j.cu...

With our old friends Sergey, Luis and Guifré, we have published a minireview in @currentbiology.bsky.social about aphelids, the sister group to fungi, including why we think they are not fungi but, nevertheless, key to understand early fungal evolution.

authors.elsevier.com/a/1mH793QW8S...

Call for Letters of Intent - HFSP Research Grants 2027

Attention scientists from all over the world🙃
The Call for Letters of Intent for #HFSPResearchGrants 2027 is now open! 🧪
Get your international & interdisciplinary team. It's time to put your bold research idea into practice!
🔗https://bit.ly/48VsGCG
📅 15 Dec 2025–26 Mar 2026
#sts #LifeSciences

Save the date! The next instalment of Comparative Genomics of Unicellular Eukaryotes is a GO! Join us next year for a programme of talks, posters, ECR/networking activities.

Website and registration details to follow in the coming weeks.
See you October 5-10 2026 in beautiful San Feliu!!

So happy to announce our new preprint, “A geothermal amoeba sets a new upper temperature limit for eukaryotes.” We cultured a novel amoeba from Lassen Volcanic NP (CA, USA) that divides at 63°C (145°F) 🔥 - a new record for euk growth!
#protistsonsky 🧵

Is it a flagellate? A tiny ball with tentacles? Contamination in my ciliate culture? NEW SUPERGROUP OF EUKARYOTES? Yes to all 4! Meet Solarion - just out in #Nature doi.org/10.1038/s415... Huge congrats to Marek Valt, Cepicka Lab & the star team! Very happy to be part of this project. #ProtistsOnSky

How do cells adapt morphology to function? In a 🔥 preprint by @zjmaggiexu.bsky.social , with @dudinlab.bsky.social and @amyweeks.bsky.social , we identify a self-organizing single-cell morphology circuit that optimizes the feeding trap structure of the suctorian P. collini. 🧵 tinyurl.com/4k8nv926

Adenine DNA methylation associated with transcriptionally permissive chromatin is widespread across eukaryotes - Nature Genetics Long-read sequencing in 18 unicellular eukaryotes reveals that 6mA is widespread across eukaryotes and is enriched at transcriptionally permissive regions, which are also marked by H3K4me3.

Out today, our take on 6-methyladenine #6mA evolution in Eukaryotes @natgenet.nature.com. We asked a simple question, is really DNA 6mA common across the eukaryotes? The answer is "yes" if you're a unicellular eukaryote 🦠, not so if you're multicellular 🐝🌱🍄. www.nature.com/articles/s41... 1/9

Wow! Congrats @fmikus.bsky.social @gautamdey.bsky.social @dudinlab.bsky.social and all authors! Superb resource!

🚨Our collaboration with @centriolelab.bsky.social & @gautamdey.bsky.social is out today in @cp-cell.bsky.social
We show that #Expansion #Microscopy is a broad-spectrum modality for Euks, enabling 3D phenotypic maps rooted to phylogeny.
#ProtistsOnSky #SciComm #SciSky

www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

Charting the landscape of cytoskeletal diversity in microbial eukaryotes An imaging resource of over 200 microbial eukaryotic species provides a glimpse into the remarkable universe of cytoskeletal diversity.

Now online! Charting the landscape of cytoskeletal diversity in microbial eukaryotes

A novel taxonomic database for eukaryotic mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene (eKOI), with a focus on protists diversity Abstract. Metabarcoding has emerged as a robust method for assessing biodiversity patterns by retrieving environmental DNA directly from ecosystems. While

New publication: "A novel taxonomic database for eukaryotic mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit I gene #eKOI, with a focus on #protists diversity" with Daniel Vaulot @daniel-vaulot.bsky.social from @biovitenskap.bsky.social
Published in Database by @oxfordacademic.bsky.social

Amazing work! Congrats!

We are happy to share our latest work in @nature.com . We study the genomic and cellular basis of facultative symbiosis in Oculina patagonica - a Mediterranean coral remarkable for its ability to survive long periods without algal symbionts. Led by Shani Levy and @xgrau.bsky.social
rdcu.be/eLbaZ

Thank you Varsha!

Just 5 more days left to apply to the Workshop on Genomics 2026, in Cesky Krumov, Czechia! evomics.org/apply-worksh... (Deadline 20th of October) Do not miss your chance! 💻🤗 #Bioinformatics #Genomics #evomics2026

Thank you Felipe!