Protists are appearing in various news outlets. These fascinating organisms continue to make headlines, sparking interest due to their ecological significance and unique characteristics. Tomáš Pánek has carefully selected some of the most noteworthy examples of protist-related media coverage, showcasing how these microscopic wonders are increasingly being recognized for their importance in diverse scientific and environmental contexts. Additionally, they feature exclusive insights from interviews with protistologists—both Society members and experts outside the organization. Together, these stories offer a closer look at how protists are gaining recognition and sparking conversations in the broader scientific community.
⇒ Science on the go: bringing labs into the field
“By moving the technology as close as possible to the biology that we want to study, we can all of a sudden see a whole new view of life, because we can find things that we couldn’t find before, interactions between organisms.” Niko Leisch
⇒ It’s hard to get meds to the lungs: Breathable algae offers a new path
“On green algae, researchers can load the precise medications needed, like antibiotics to treat bacterial pneumonia. This way, the researchers can use the microrobots to be the deliverers of the specific drugs needed to treat the lung disease. So they speckle each microrobot with dozens of minuscule packets containing the drugs.” Liezel Labios
See the original research article: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-025-56032-4
⇒ Discovery suggests that red algae use colors for inter-species communication
“Some red algae exhibit structural color that gives their growth tips a blue hue and the rest of their bodies, including their fruiting structures, a white hue. Moreover, since the color-producing structures are located together with anti-herbivory chemicals, the Kobe University discovery is the first to suggest that red algae use colors for inter-species communication.” Kobe University
See the original research article: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09670262.2025.2483980
“An international collaboration between four scientists from Mainz, Valencia, Madrid, and Zurich has published new research in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, shedding light on the most significant increase in complexity in the history of life’s evolution on Earth: the origin of the eukaryotic cell.” Kathrin Voigt
See the original research article: https://www.pnas.org/doi/10.1073/pnas.2422968122
⇒ Antarctic microbes reveal climate impact on marine ecosystems
“Bacteria and microbial eukaryotes play different roles in the marine ecosystem, and the potential shift towards bacterial dominance in warmer conditions could decrease biological productivity. With more bacteria and less phytoplankton, nutrients are more likely to remain in the microbial loop, making them less available for higher organisms like krill, fish, and ultimately mammals and birds.“ Royal Netherlands Institute for Sea Research
See the original research article: https://environmentalmicrobiome.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s40793-025-00663-z
⇒ New test uses oyster poo to track devastating parasite
“The European flat oyster (Ostrea edulis) has seen its numbers plummet over the past two centuries due to overfishing, habitat loss and disease. They are now rare and protected in the wild. Among the most persistent threats is Bonamia ostreae, a microscopic parasite that causes a condition known as bonamiosis, which can devastate oyster populations but is harmless to humans. Until now, detecting the presence of the parasite has involved dissecting a sample of oysters, an approach that is not only destructive but also impractical for monitoring rare or restoration-targeted populations. The Heriot-Watt and Roslin Institute team has pioneered a new method that uses oyster poo to screen for the parasite’s DNA.“ Sarah McDaid
See the original research article: https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0044848625000390
⇒ Parasite Kills Human Cells and Wears Their Remains As Disguise
“For decades scientists have been puzzled by a tiny parasite that affects millions worldwide, with the power to liquefy human organs and evade the immune system in ways that science hasn’t been able to explain. Now University of California, Davis microbiologist professor Katherine Ralston and her team, have uncovered its terrifying secret. Entamoeba histolytica has the unusual ability to kill human cells and then wear them as a disguise to escape the immune defenses.“ Newsweek
See the original research article: https://www.cell.com/trends/parasitology/fulltext/S1471-4922(25)00074-1
⇒ Atomic imaging and AI offer new insights into motion of parasite behind sleeping sickness
“a research team at the California NanoSystems Institute at UCLA, or CNSI, has applied leading-edge atomic imaging and AI-driven modeling to create the most detailed 3D map yet of the flagellum on Trypanosoma brucei, which causes sleeping sickness. The study, published in the journal Science, identified 154 different proteins that make up the flagellum, including 40 that are unique to the parasite.” Xian Xia and Wayne Lewis
See the original research article: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/science.adr3314
⇒ How marine plankton adapts to a changing world
“Plankton may be tiny, but they play an important role in the ocean. As the foundation of marine ecosystems, they support ocean food webs and help regulate Earth’s climate by storing carbon. While lab studies have shown plankton can adjust their chemistry in response to environmental changes, a new global study reveals how these adaptations occur in the real ocean.” Science Daily
Read the original research article: https://www.science.org/doi/10.1126/sciadv.ads4605
⇒ Hypnozoites: World’s Best Nappers
Dr. Chester Joyner of the UGA Department of Infectious Diseases discusses his research with Plasmodium vivax and the curious nature of its dormant liver stage in this episode of the People, Parasites, and Plagues podcast.
