This #amoeba eats prey like #owls do https://www.sciencenews.org/article/amoeba-eats-removes-shell

The vampyrellid amoeba #Strigomyxa ruptor gen. et sp. nov. and its remarkable strategy to acquire algal cell contents https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/ece3.70191

"The microscopic predator engulfs #algae, drains the cells and spits out the shell"

It's time to consider the Arcellinida shell as a weapon https://www.isep-protists.com/post/arcellinida-shell-weapon

"why is there such a large morphological diversity in shell-bearing #amoebae and what is the function of shells anyway? We knew for a long time that #Arcellinida are masters of the #cytoskeleton as they use it to build their elaborate shells. It was unknown that they use both, the cytoskeleton and shell, in combination to function as small apex #predators in their systems."

Bacteria & Fungi Come Together in Endosymbiosis Study https://www.labroots.com/trending/cell-and-molecular-biology/27876/bacteria-fungi-endosymbiosis-study

Inducing novel #endosymbioses by implanting bacteria in fungi https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-024-08010-x

"After several generations, the health of the #fungi began to improve. They were changing and adapting to their new resident #bacteria. The bacteria also changed. Both bacterial and fungal cells were found to produce molecules that helped the fungi collect nutrients and battle predators like #amoebae or #nematodes."

Biologists study trade-offs of microscopic predators https://phys.org/news/2024-05-biologists-offs-microscopic-predators.html

Costs of being a diet generalist for the #protist predator #Dictyostelium discoideum https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2313203121

"The #amoebae prey on a very diverse group of #bacteria. But when they switch from one bacteria to another, there's a physiological cost."

How did #eukaryotes evolve for extreme temps? https://www.futurity.org/high-temp-eukaryotes-2972442-2/ #protists

#ExtremeEnvironments offer an unprecedented opportunity to understand #microbial #eukaryotic #ecology, #evolution, and #genome #biology: Hannah Rappaport & Angela Oliverio https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-023-40657-4

“several lineages of #amoebae were often recovered from extremely high temperature environments. Studying those lineages may yield great insight into how eukaryotic cells can adapt to life in extremely hot environments.”

#Yellow #pigment keeps #SocialAmoebae together https://www.eurekalert.org/news-releases/968378 #Protists #SlimeMolds #Polyketides #Pigments

Paper: Yellow #polyketide pigment suppresses premature #hatching in social amoeba https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2116122119

The #multicellular stage of the #amoeba #Dicyostelium discoideum is partially regulated by an intensely yellow natural substance. The newly identified natural product of the polyketide family prevents the #amoebae #spores from hatching too early.

#introductions

Hello! I'm a #PostDoc in evolutionary #protistology. I study #evolution, #biodiversity, and #symbiosis in #protists ( = eukaryotic #microbes = #SingleCelled critters more complex than bacteria - eg. #amoebae, #ciliates, #flagellates, #microalgae, etc.) mostly using #genomics and #bioinformatics.

I come from #Prague, CZ & currently live in #Orsay, FR.

I'm interseted in #diversity & #evolution of all life, #earth & #space #science, #languages, #religion, #progressive politics.