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 ...

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 ...

A new study reveals that microbes in coastal wetlands peak during winter, despite colder temperatures and slower plant growth ...

Researchers from the Earlham Institute, in collaboration with the Department of Biology at the University of Oxford, have discovered three previously unrecognized lineages of the protist Bodo, each ...

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 ...

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 ...