Microbial eukaryotes never cease to amaze. Rhynchomonas nasuta may be tiny, but its role as a bacterial grazer makes it an important player in microbial food webs. And it's beautifully illustrated here. #ProtistsOnSky #Protistology #Protists #Eukaryotes #Genomics #SingleCell #Microbiology

Smart Alyk@smartalyk.bsky.social · 9h ago

DAY 426 SPECIES 426 - Rhynchomonas nasuta MEDIUM: Arches Paper. Chromatek & QoR watercolor, Sakura pen R. nasuta is a tiny single celled flagellate with a name that means "Big nosed flagellate" #sciart #watercolor #paint #protist #eukaryotic #protistsonsky

Evolution has preserved the chromatin toolkit, but diversified how it's used. A remarkable comparative study across diverse eukaryotic lineages that highlights the value of looking beyond traditional model organisms. Congrats 🎉

Arnau Sebé-Pedrós@arnausebe.bsky.social · 2d ago

Happy to share the final version of our study on the evolution of chromatin states across eukaryotes, out today in @natgenet.nature.com Led by @crisnava.bsky.social and @seanamontgomery.bsky.social www.nature.com/articles/s41... Some highlights below

📢 Meet our invited speaker: Mahwash Jamy, Uppsala University, @mjamy.bsky.social “New deep-branching environmental plastid genomes on the algal tree of life” How environmental plastid genomes reveal hidden algal diversity & evolution. #Protists #Protistology #Genomics #ProtistsOnSky #Microbiology

Check out our new paper on adopting a trait-based framework for protist diversity! We make the case for a unified protist trait database, how to build it, and how it could transform research on protist ecology and evolution. #protistsonsky

Pierre Ramond@pierreramond.bsky.social · 11mo ago

Hello there 🦋 Happy to share our piece "Towards a trait-based framework for protist ecology and evolution" in @cp-trendsmicrobiol.bsky.social Let's build a unified trait 📏 database to unlock transformative insights into protist 🔬 ecology 🌍 and evolution ⏳ ▶️ doi.org/10.1016/j.ti... #protistsonsky

DAY 424 SPECIES 424 - Ichthyobodo necator MEDIUM: Arches Paper. Chromatek watercolor, Sakura pen I. necator is a single celled protozoan parasite that infests freshwater fish, causing a disease called ichthyobodiosis or costiasis #sciart #watercolor #paint #protist #eukaryotic #protistsonsky

📣 Final opportunity to join #CGUE2026 👉Registration extended to Aug 31 👉Poster submissions reopened until Aug 15 🔗 comparativegenomics2026.com #Genomics #ComparativeGenomics #Protists #Protistology #Eukaryotes #ProtistsOnSky #Microbiology

DAY 420 SPECIES 420 - Corythion dubium MEDIUM: Arches Paper. Chromatek watercolor, Sakura pen NOTES: Falling a bit behind on the storage folders, got to make some more #sciart #watercolor #paint #protist #eukaryotic #protistsonsky

Outstanding study showing how bacterial cues trigger multicellular aggregation in one of the closest unicellular relatives of animals. A fascinating glimpse into the evolutionary origins of animal multicellularity.

@jpgerdt.bsky.social · 2w ago

Ruibao's first paper from the lab is out in @nature.com . www.nature.com/articles/s41.... Collab with @multicellgenome.bsky.social & @jennahed.bsky.social. How did cells stick together and form the first animals? The protist Ministeria suggests cellular aggregation had a role. @iuqcb.bsky.social

Invited speaker spotlight: Yuji Inagaki, University of Tsukuba “Phylogenomic illusions in the eukaryotic phylogeny” 📅 October 7 🕒 09:00–09:30 Full program: comparativegenomics2026.com #Phylogenomics #Protistology #Protists #ProtistsOnSky #Eukaryotes #Genomics #Microbiology

How much protist diversity are we still missing simply because we haven't looked? Studies like this suggest the answer is: a lot. A fascinating contribution to our understanding of microbial eukaryote diversity.

John Burns@burnsajohn.bsky.social · last wk.

Beautiful work from Brazil describing testate amoeba shells found on a moss sample from a tree on a tall mountain in the Amazon Rainforest: "High-altitude Amazonian eukaryotic shells (Arcellinida, Amoebozoa)" www.sciencedirect.com/science/arti... #protistsonsky

Outstanding study showing how environmental phylogenetics is reshaping our understanding of early eukaryote evolution. Hidden biodiversity continues to transform the tree of life. #philogenetics #eukaryoticevolution #treeoflife #genomics #eukaryotes #protists

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences@pnas.org · last wk.

One of the most-viewed PNAS articles in the last week is “Environmental phylogenetics supports a steady diversification of crown eukaryotes starting from the mid-Proterozoic.” Explore the article here: https://ow.ly/5Lpf50Ztxar For more trending articles, visit https://ow.ly/AMo550Ztxas.

🔬 Invited speaker spotlight: Fabien Burki, Uppsala University: Single cell genomics and fluorescence microscopy suggest a permanent plastid in a marine centrohelid. @fburki.bsky.social 👉 comparativegenomics2026.com #Genomics #SingleCellGenomics #Protistology #Protists #Microscopy #Eukaryotes

A compelling contribution to our understanding of early eukaryote evol. By integrating environmental phylogenetics, molecular dating & diversification analyses, this study challenges the boring billion paradigm & reveals a much earlier diversification of crown eukaryotes than previously recognized

Miguel Méndez Sandín@sandinmm.eurosky.social · 3w ago

Apparently the "boring billion" was actually exciting! We provide molecular evidence of complex Mesoproterozoic eukaryotic communities. So happy to see this out 🥳 Thanks to @phoebefossil.bsky.social , Hélène Morlon & @fburki.bsky.social for a lovely collab! doi.org/10.1073/pnas...

📢 The final #CGUE2026 program is now available! 🔗 comparativegenomics2026.com 5 days of cutting-edge science, 15 invited speakers, contributed talks and poster sessions. #Eukaryotes #Protists #Genomics #ComparativeGenomics #EvolutionaryBiology #Microbiology #CellBiology #Protistology

📢Two more opportunities to join #CGUE2026 ! 🪪Registration open until Aug 31 📄Final Flash poster abstracts: Aug 1–15 Join us in Sant Feliu de Guíxols, Spain, Oct 5–10. 🔗 comparativegenomics2026.com #Genomics #Protistology #Prostists #SingleCell #Eukaryotes #ComparativeGenomics

Excellent comparative genomics study showing how protist and animal hosts shape the evolution of closely related archaeal symbionts in very different ways. A fascinating contribution to our understanding of endosymbiosis and host–microbe evolution.

Dr. Roxanne Beinart@symbiosisrox.bsky.social · 3mo ago

Happy to share our new preprint led by @annaschreck.bsky.social with @micrott.bsky.social and Ivan Cepicka which capitalized on the rare opportunity to compare the genomes of closely related symbionts associated with animals vs. protists. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Excellent preprint combining single-cell transcriptomics, symbiosis biology and evolutionary perspectives to understand coral responses to heat stress. A great example of how single-cell approaches are transforming eukaryotic biology.

Xavier Grau-Bové 🌾@xgrau.bsky.social · 2w ago

I'm happy to share our latest on #coral single-cell biology: a transcriptomic timecourse of heat stress in Stylophora pistillata, from bleaching to recovery 🪸🌊 This project was spearheaded by Shani Levy and carried through in @arnausebe.bsky.social's lab at @crg.eu. www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Outstanding study combining comparative genomics, dual transcriptomics and advanced imaging to reveal how parasitism evolves in marine microbial eukaryotes. A powerful new model system with broad implications for evolution and ocean ecology.

Varsha Mathur@varshamathur.bsky.social · 2w ago

So happy to share our new paper out now in @natmicrobiol.nature.com! We establish Pirsonia-Coscinodiscus as a model pathosystem and uncover how this tiny parasite infects and kills bloom-forming marine diatoms 🌊🦠 rdcu.be/fuQyF

⚡FINAL FLASH ABSTRACTS One last opportunity to share your research with the CGUE2026 community. 📅 Submissions open August 1 - 0:00 CET ⏰ Deadline: August 15 - 23:59 CET 👉 Submit your poster: comparativegenomics2026.com #ComparativeGenomics #Protistology #Genomics #ProtistsOnSky #Protist #Eukaryote

Quaternary Ice Ages Shaped Protists Phylogeography: The Case of Arcellinida in the Iberian Peninsula.

🎉Good news! Registration for #CGUE26 has been extended until 31 August - no fee increase! Join the international community exploring the diversity & evolution of unicellular eukaryotes. 👉Registration: comparativegenomics2026.com #ProtistsOnSky #ComparativeGenomics #Protists #Genomics #Eukaryotes

🎉Good news! Registration for #CGUE26 has been extended until 31 August - no fee increase! Join the international community exploring the diversity & evolution of unicellular eukaryotes. 👉Registration: comparativegenomics2026.com #ProtistsOnSky #ComparativeGenomics #Protists #Genomics #Eukaryotes

2/11 For a long time, adaptation has been viewed primarily through genetics. Mutations arise.
 Selection acts.
 Populations evolve. But organisms often respond to environmental change far faster than classical evolutionary models would predict. @ibe-barcelona.bsky.social #protistOnSKy

Our study on the first rhodopsin channels known to respond to UV light is now published in PNAS! And they come from our favourite protists, apusomonads! #protistonsky www.pnas.org/doi/full/10....

Apusomonad rhodopsins: A new family of ultraviolet to blue light–absorbing rhodopsin channels | PNAS

Apusomonads are sediment-dwelling bacterivorous protists that are sister to all Opisthokonta. They have been found to show a negative phototactic r...

pnas.org

Luis Javier Galindo@luisjagago.bsky.social · last yr.

First study from the lab is out! We describe ApuRs, a new family of microbial rhodopsins unique from apusomonads. ApuRs represent the first anion-conducting rhodopsin channels that can be controlled by UV light, offering potential as new optogenetic tools. #protistsonsky doi.org/10.1101/2025... 👇

🌍What can environmental DNA reveal? From eDNA to long-read metagenomics, environmental genomics is transforming how we explore the hidden diversity of microbial eukaryotes. #ProtistsOnSky #EnvironmentalGenomics #Metagenomics #Genomics #eDNA #Protists

🤖🧠 AI is transforming comparative genomics. From phylogenetic inference to comparative genome analysis, AI is helping researchers reveal new evolutionary insights from increasingly complex datasets. Discover how AI is driving discovery at #CGUE2026 #AI #Genomics #Bioinformatics #ProtistsOnSky

⏰ The countdown is on! Only 7 days remain to register for CGUE2026. Five days of cutting-edge science, inspiring discussions and networking with the international community studying the evolution and diversity of unicellular eukaryotes. #ComparativeGenomics #Protistology #Protists #Microbiology

🔬 Seeing beyond the limits of conventional microscopy. Advanced imaging is revealing the hidden complexity of microbial eukaryotes—from cellular architecture to organelle dynamics. Discover how imaging is transforming comparative genomics at #CGUE26. #CGUE26 #Microscopy #ProtistsOnSky #Genomics

🧫 One cell. Endless insights. What can a single cell reveal about the evolution of eukaryotic life? Single-cell genomics is opening new perspectives on the diversity and biology of non-model eukaryotes. 📍CGUE2026 • comparativegenomics2026.com #SingleCell #Genomics #ProtistsOnSky #Transcriptomics

How does cellular complexity evolve? Organelle evolution, DNA dynamics, endosymbiosis and cellular architecture are revealing new mechanisms of eukaryotic innovation. #CellBiology #Protistology #Eukaryotes #Genomics #Microscopy #Protists #Microbiology #Endosymbiosis #Microscopy #SingleCell