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 ...

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 ...

Fusarium wilt is a major threat to global watermelon production, especially under long-term monoculture practices. Traditionally, research has focused on how pathogens invade or how certain beneficial ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

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 ...

Since the Victorian era, categorizing the natural world has challenged scientists. No group has presented a challenge as tricky as the protists, the tiny, complex life forms that are neither plants ...

Almost all eukaryotic organisms, from plants and animals to fungi, can't survive without mitochondria -- the 'powerhouses of the cell,' which generate chemical energy using oxygen. However, a new ...