Here’s what you’ll learn when you read this story: Single-celled organisms aren’t often associated with complex functioning, but a new study suggests that at least some protists exhibit what’s known ...

The cross-trophic networks between protists and (A) fungi and (B) bacteria. Structural equation models showing the contrasting patterns of protists on the accumulation of (C) fungal and (D) bacterial ...

An introner jumped between this species, a glass sponge, and an unrelated species of marine protist called a dinoflagellate. Image courtesy of the NOAA Office of Ocean Exploration and Research, ...

For the first time, two researchers in the US have observed the intricate folding and unfolding of “cellular origami”. Through detailed observations, Eliott Flaum and Manu Prakash at Stanford ...

Oddly, origami could be useful for snagging prey. The finding could help inspire new robotics, such as tools for microsurgery that can extend and contract inside small body cavities. Seeing L. olor’s ...

Perhaps the most fundamental conflict in nature occurs when one organism consumes another. Diet generalists benefit from the advantage of eating many prey but then must deal with many prey defenses.

Mitochondria are very well known as the powerhouses of the cell. Generally speaking, all eukaryotes, including plants, fungi, and animals, are made of cells that contain mitochondria. These organelles ...

Protists, a broad class of generally single-celled organisms that includes algae and amoebae, have long been regarded as a "catch-all" category for diverse microorganisms. Because of their diversity ...

The following is an extract from our nature newsletter Wild Wild Life. Sign up to receive it for free in your inbox every month. New Scientist recently reported on something I’d never heard of before: ...

We are all closely associated with microorganisms. The most common example is the human gut, where bacteria are necessary for digestion and health or can be responsible for illness. The plant ...