New article on #protist global distributions combining the #Mixoplankton and #metaPR2 databases with revised functional annotations led by @lusantof.bsky.social, Michaela E. Larsson, and Suzana Leles with Aditee Mitra and Emile Faure. Now available on Ocean Microbiology

rdcu.be/fanlx

Our new article on #protist global distributions combining the #Mixoplankton and #metaPR2 databases with newly revised functional annotations.

rdcu.be/fanlx

Single-cell sequencing reveals unexpected protist diversity Scientists developing a single-cell sequencing pipeline at Earlham Institute have revealed previously unknown diversity from a group of free-living protists closely related to the parasites that…

💬 “With developing technologies, such as spectral cell sorting, we’re capable of capturing visual as well as omics data from individual cells, which when combined with automation and other tools, will help accelerate these analyses."

🆕 #Singlecell sequencing reveals unexpected #protist diversity 👇

11th International Chrysophyte Symposium

ics2026.org

#protist #protistsonsky

Single-cell sequencing reveals unexpected protist diversity Scientists have revealed previously unknown diversity from a group of free-living protists closely related to the parasites that cause sleeping sickness.

🆕 Researchers from the Earlham Institute and @biology.ox.ac.uk developing #singlecell pipelines for #protist sequencing have discovered three previously unrecognised lineages of the protist Bodo, each with its own bacterial endosymbiont.

@neilhall.bsky.social | @sallywarring.bsky.social 💻🧬🦠

A smartphone analogy to explore the origin of animals - The EMBO Journal How animals evolved from their unicellular ancestor is a fundamental biological question. The fact that all animals are monophyletic—sharing a single common ancestor—implies their origin from unicellu...

If we find a novel organism branching between protists and animals, is it a #protist or an #animal? 🤔
We here suggest that if it has 3 cell types, a polarized outer layer, a feeding opening, and responsive behavior, then it is an animal! link.springer.com/article/10.1...

A rusty brown colour covers parts of the bottom in the shallows, I know what time it is. It's Diatime! I mean #diatoms! Also a #protist moving around. One visible flagella. #microscopy #freshwater.

Next level #Irish dance. This is the fastest #protist tap dancer #rimostrombidium sp?
#protistsonsky
#freshwater #microscopy

Figure 6 Pei (2026): This conceptual model illustrates how applied biocontrol bacteria enhance pathogen inhibition by stimulating predatory protists, which subsequently increases the proportion of antibacterial genes. Pathway 1: Biocontrol bacteria stimulate the proliferation of predatory protists (Cercomonas). Under predation pressure, biocontrol bacteria (e.g., Bacillus) upregulate the production of disease-suppressive metabolites, which not only mediates their defense against protist grazing but also enhances the inhibition of pathogens (R. solanacearum). Pathway 2: Biocontrol bacteria directly secrete disease-suppressive metabolites to inhibit pathogens. The number of ‘+‘ and ‘-‘ signs indicates the significance of given effect.

New publication: #Biofertilizer induces #soil #disease suppression by activating #pathogen suppressive #protist taxa.
doi.org/10.1038/s415...

Blastocystis in domestic mammals and poultry: from prevalence patterns to gut physiology Blastocystis is a common intestinal protist in humans and animals, yet its ecological role and clinical significance remain debated. Companion animals and livestock are of particular interest due to t...

...Is Blastocystis a #parasite? The debate rages on!

This recent study suggests in animals, particularly in herbivores with multiple stomachs (think: goats, sheep, cows), Blastocystis is a marker for a healthy, balanced gut #microbiome.

www.cell.com/trends/paras...

#parasitology #protist

Figure 2 Wang (2025): Size effects of protists on bacterial relative abundance and indicator taxa. Effects of protist size on bacteria community composition at the phylum level (A) and genus level (B). Representative bacteria among protists of different categories were selected based on linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) with an LDA threshold of 3.5; only the lowest taxonomy level of selected bacteria is shown (C). Differentially abundant bacterial taxa (at genus level) in each protist treatment compared to the no-protist control (P−), identified by ANCOM-BC2 (P < .05). Dot size corresponds to the beta coefficient from ANCOM-BC2. In panel C, the genus level of bacteria is shown in italics, the family level is in non-italic with regular font. P- = no-protist control, Ps = protists of the small-size category treatment, Pm = protists of the medium-size category treatment, Pl = protists of the large-size category treatment. Significant differences between different treatments in panels A and B are evaluated by a one-way ANOVA test (P < .05), with different letters above bars (only significant results are labeled) indicating significant distinctions tested through Tukey’s HSD post hoc test (P < .05).

New publication: #Protist size-dependent shifts of bacterial #communities can reduce litter #decomposition, by @ciskaveen.bsky.social and others. #bacteria
doi.org/10.1093/isme...

youtu.be/C8WprObZ7qI?...
@amoebadiscovery.bsky.social
I struggle identifying this blob. I see cilia, lipids and it releases little blobs, excretes (what looks like) a rotifers mastax. It's quite mesmerising watching it.
Is this an #amoeba? #protist

Digital illustration representing Switzerland and highlighting various research themes pursued by PhD students at CUSO Microbiology. The 3D landscape captures diverse biotopes, from mountains to peatlands, fields and lakes. Buildings symbolize the universities across Romandy along with a hospital where some students are conducting their research. The zoomed-in sections provide a glimpse into the diversity of topics studied by the PhD candidates. From left to right: Toxic Cyanobacteria (Microcoleus anatoxicus): found in Lake Neuchâtel and the Areuse River, this species has been correlated to the deaths of dogs due to the production of a toxin called anatoxin-a during bloom events. Testate Amoebae: these free-living protozoa are examined for their biodiversity and serve as bioindicators for the ecological state of peatlands. Wheat Leaf Pathology: a leaf infected by the fungal pathogen Zymoseptoria tritici, responsible for Septoria tritici Blotch disease. Research on its genetics aims to enhance strategies for protecting wheat crops. Bacterial-Fungal Interactions: a Petri dish showcases three distinct bacterial colonies (white, pink, and cream) alongside a central fungus. Three interaction scenarii are depicted: no effect (top), antagonistic (bottom right), and limited competition (bottom left). Human Gut Microbiota: the human scheme includes a visualization of the gut microbiota, comprising bacteria, viruses, and yeasts. Research focuses on their dynamics to prevent diseases and understand their changes in malnutrition contexts. Lung Infection: human lungs infected by the pathogenic bacterium Pseudomonas aeruginosa, studied for its degradation of human RNAs and to respiratory illnesses.

🎉 Honoured to have won the second place of the contest created by the CUSO Doctoral Program in Microbiology.

🎨 Switzerland’s landscapes and research themes explored by PhD students.

CUSO website:
biologie.cuso.ch/microbiologi...

#sciart #illustration #microbiology #cyanobacteria #fungi #protist

And some parting #protist shots - two giant acantharians hand-collected with prey inside (a copepod and maybe a foram) - crazy to see a copepod being digested by an acanth, so curious how the acanth managed to catch it! #microbialsky #microsky #christmasatsea ❤️🌊

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.

Tour de force #UExM study of #protist #cytoskeleton structures (>200 species🤯), led by @dudinlab.bsky.social, @gautamdey.bsky.social. A must for #tubulin & #centrin aficionados🤩
www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

🦠 New #symbionts in #wastewater: #denitrifying #protist #endosymbionts are found in #sewage plants all over the world. One common species releases #nitrousoxide.

Our now @isme-microbes.bsky.social

mpi-bremen.de/en/Page6579....
doi.org/10.1093/isme...

@daanspeth.bsky.social @einzeller.bsky.social

microscopic pictures and 3D reconstructions of a microbial cell

Discovery of rare #protist reveals previously unknown branch of eukaryotic tree of life phys.org/news/2025-11...

Rare microbial relict sheds light on an ancient eukaryotic supergroup www.nature.com/articles/s41...

#Protists #Microbes #Evolution #Eukaryotes #TreeOfLife

Learn about the #protist amoeba by making our paper model! Find out more here: origamiorganelles.com/collections/...

#EduSky #amoeba #eukaryote #eukaryoticcell #iteachbio #biologyteacher

If you work with #metals and #microbes, please consider submitting your manuscripts to our Research Topic in Frontiers in #Microbiology

Manuscript submission deadline: May 21, 2026

If you have any questions, please contact the editors.
#archaea #bacteria #fungi #algae #protist #microsky

✨ A study in nature.com from our Faculty at @unikarlova.cuni.cz reveals Solarion arienae, a rare #protist forming a newly identified eukaryotic supersroup Disparia. A unique window into early #eukaryotic cell #evolution. 🌍🔬👏

www.nature.com/articles/s41...

Persistent mirusvirus infection in the marine protist Aurantiochytrium - Nature Communications Mirusviruses were detected in metagenomic datasets, but little is known about how they infect their hosts. Here, the authors characterize mirusviruses in the marine protist Aurantiochytrium,…

Persistent #mirusvirus #infection in the #marine #protist #Aurantiochytrium ...

| #DNA | #virus | #microbial | #eukaryote | Via @nature.com

Towards a trait-based framework for protist ecology and evolution Protists comprise the vast majority of eukaryotic genetic and functional diversity. While they have traditionally been difficult to study due to their…

New publication: "Towards a trait-based framework for #protist ecology and evolution" with Daniel Vaulot @daniel-vaulot.bsky.social from @biovitenskap.bsky.social
Published in Trends in Microbiology @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social by @cellpress.bsky.social

Here’s my #protist pico tank in the office. It’s home to Laurencia, Codium, Lobophora, Heterosiphonia, Valonia, and my favorite of all, the giant single-celled Acetabularia, also known as the Mermaid’s Wine Glass.

More highlights from #MPMXXXVI!

Work by Roaa Zedan et al. developed a point-of-care diagnostic test for #Blastocystis, a fascinating #protist found across the world (including industrialized nations) in the human gut #microbiome, implicated in diseases such as #IBS.
1/3
@parasitesrule.org #MPM2025

Usually, I see empty little amphora shaped loricas, but this is a live #tintinnid #cillitate! #freshwater #plankton sample. #protist #citizenscientist. Unbelievable that they make a fantasticly shaped shell.

SEM image of the culprit. Fungus is the pale filaments and ovoids, fossil organics are the dark fluffy bits #geology #paleontology #protist #fungus

Single-cell genomics reveals hidden bacterial threats in Amoeba Scientists sequencing two free-living amoebae related to the deadly “brain-eating amoeba” Naegleria fowleri discovered they both contain bacteria linked to Legionnaires’ disease.

💬 "With #singlecell #genomics we can tease out the bacterial genome from the protist genome, while linking the #bacteria to its #protist host. It’s a really powerful technique to understand host-pathogen interactions and how they evolve over time.”

Was very pleased to find this massive Stentor coeruleus in a pond in Edinburgh yesterday- it’s not often you see bright blue single celled organism that’s visible to the naked eye #protist #panspecieslisting

photo of a white microscopic snail-like shell

Tiny marine #protist shells reveal clues for how ice ages start phys.org/news/2025-08...

Progressively greater biological #CarbonStorage in the deep Atlantic during glacial inception: Monica Garity et al. www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/...

#Protists #Microbes #Foraminifera #Climate #DeepSea #IceAge