Among the large cast of microbiome players, bacteria have been hogging the spotlight. But the single-celled organisms known as protists are finally getting the starring role they deserve. Among the ...

In the world of microbes, organisms like viruses and bacteria get a lot of attention. But now, researchers are beginning to study other unicellular life forms, like archaea, and protists. Protists ...

DURHAM, N.C. -- The humble peat bog conjures images of a brown, soggy expanse. But it turns out to have a superpower in the fight against climate change. For thousands of years, the world’s peatlands ...

Protists are predators of bacteria, and they help shape soil communities by munching on bacteria (sorry, bacteria). Researchers knew that protists could identify prey when they were in direct contact ...

New genetic evidence builds the case that single-celled marine microbes might chow down on viruses. By Katherine J. Wu On the dinner plate that is planet Earth, there exists a veritable buffet of ...

Pac-Man, the open-mouthed face of the most successful arcade game ever, is much more well-known than any of the one-celled organisms called protists, at least among people over 30. But the first study ...

Just as the human body serves as a habitat for bacteria and other microbes, diverse, tiny organisms known as protists host their own microbiomes. "We know there are many symbionts in the world, but it ...

This article was published in Scientific American’s former blog network and reflects the views of the author, not necessarily those of Scientific American There exists a wonderful book with an ...

Environmental science has clearly entered the ‘era of the microbe’ during the past decade. At no other time in our history have we so completely grasped the immensity of microbial diversity or its ...

Tropical rainforests are one of the most species-rich areas on earth. Thousands of animal and plant species live there. The smaller microbial protists, which are not visible to the naked eye, are also ...

Single-celled eukaryotes (protists) constitute a tremendously diverse group of microorganisms. These species exhibit a wide range of nutritional modes (many species possess multiple nutritional modes ...