If we find a novel organism branching between protists and animals, is it a
#protist or an
#animal? 🤔
We here suggest that if it has 3 cell types, a polarized outer layer, a feeding opening, and responsive behavior, then it is an animal!
link.springer.com/article/10.1...A smartphone analogy to explor...
A smartphone analogy to explore the origin of animals - The EMBO Journal
How animals evolved from their unicellular ancestor is a fundamental biological question. The fact that all animals are monophyletic—sharing a single common ancestor—implies their origin from unicellular eukaryotes was likely driven by rare and highly advantageous innovations. While the fossil record and initial genomic comparisons suggested animals originated by the rapid acquisition of many novel genes, new research on animal’s closest unicellular relatives reveals most of those genes originated before animals evolved. Here we present a new model for animal origins, which shares similarities with the origin of one of the greatest technological innovations of our time: the smartphone. We show that the origin of both animals and smartphones was due to the integration and repurposing of pre-existing components driven by a novel “operating system”, rather than the sudden emergence of many new parts. This model offers testable predictions and a new theoretical framework for understanding complex biological innovation.
New #ISEPpapers! Towards a trait-based framework for protist ecology and evolution: Mahwash Jamy et al. https://www.cell.com/trends/microbiology/fulltext/S0966-842X(25)00251-3
"Recently developed environment- and taxon-specific trait databases are a strong foundation for studies of #protist functional diversity, but efforts remain fragmented... a unified trait database for #protists is timely, achievable, and would catalyze transformative research on their #biodiversity, #ecology and #evolution."
'Screening for the ciliate Buxtonella sulcata in free-ranging dairy cattle on Terceira Island, Azores archipelago
Translated title: Dépistage du cilié Buxtonella sulcata chez les vaches laitières élevées en liberté sur l’île de Terceira, dans l’archipel des Açores'
- an article in 'Parasite' by @EDPSciences on #ScienceOpen:
🔗 https://www.scienceopen.com/document?vid=9c808384-922c-4ff1-8d00-689b878b7985
#Research #Parasitology #Microbiology #Protist
Screening for the ciliate <i>Buxtonella sulcata</i> in free-ranging dairy cattle on Terceira Island, Azores archipelago <span class="so-article-trans-title" dir="auto"> Translated title: Dépistage du cilié <i>Buxtonella sulcata</i> chez les vaches laitières élevées en liberté sur l’île de Terceira, dans l’archipel des Açores </span>
<p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" class="first" dir="auto" id="d3328310e186">
<i>Buxtonella sulcata</i> is an alveolate ciliate protist, historically considered a commensal of the gastrointestinal
tract of cattle. Despite the fact that its cysts are morphologically identical to
those of
<i>Balantioides coli</i>, molecular identification techniques have shed new light on its role as a pathogen.
This work aimed to assess the presence of this ciliate in the population of dairy
cattle on the Azorean island of Terceira by means of molecular analyses (ITS1–5.8S–ITS2
rRNA) of stool samples. A total of 116 samples were collected from adult Holstein-Friesian
dairy cows, with no signs of gastrointestinal disease. A proportion of 49.1% of the
samples were PCR-positive for
<i>Bu. sulcata</i>, and 12 different genetic sequences were identified. These findings highlight the
need for future research concerning the factors that influence the presence of
<i>Bu. sulcata</i> in the gastrointestinal tract of dairy cows, the role of bovines as possible sources
of infection, and the impact this ciliate may have on the health, welfare, and productivity
of these animals.
</p><p xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" class="first" dir="auto" id="d3328310e200">
<i>Buxtonella sulcata</i> est un protiste cilié alvéolé, historiquement considéré comme un commensal du tube
digestif des bovins. En dépit du fait que la morphologie de ses kystes est identique
à celle de
<i>Balantioides coli</i>, les techniques d’identification moléculaire ont apporté un nouvel éclairage sur
son rôle comme pathogène. Ce travail vise à évaluer la présence de ce cilié dans la
population de vaches laitières de l’île de Terceira, aux Açores, grâce à des analyses
moléculaires (ARNr ITS1–5.8S–ITS2) d’échantillons de selles. Au total, 116 échantillons
ont été prélevés sur des vaches laitières Holstein adultes, ne présentant aucun signe
de maladie gastro-intestinale. Une proportion de 49,1 % des échantillons étaient positifs
à la PCR pour
<i>Bu. sulcata</i> et 12 séquences génétiques différentes ont été identifiées. Ces résultats soulignent
la nécessité de recherches futures concernant les facteurs qui influencent la présence
de
<i>Bu. sulcata</i> dans le tractus gastro-intestinal des vaches laitières, le rôle des bovins comme
sources possibles d’infection et l’impact que ce cilié peut avoir sur la santé, le
bien-être et la productivité de ces animaux.
</p>
I accidentally deleted the amoeba painting post, oops. Here is the video, sped up 20x, that created the paintings. They are just on a different timescale.
#sciart #microscopy #protistNew #ISEPpapers! Characterization of Allobodo yubaba sp. nov. and Novijibodo darinka gen. et sp. nov., cultivable free‐living species of the phylogenetically enigmatic kinetoplastid taxon Allobodonidae https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC11771631/ by Julia Packer et al.
"#Kinetoplastids are a large and diverse #protist group, spanning ecologically important free‐living forms to medically important #parasites."
#Protists #Microbes #NewSpecies
Characterization of Allobodo yubaba sp. nov. and Novijibodo darinka gen. et sp. nov., cultivable free‐living species of the phylogenetically enigmatic kinetoplastid taxon Allobodonidae
Kinetoplastids are a large and diverse protist group, spanning ecologically important free‐living forms to medically important parasites. The taxon Allobodonidae holds an unresolved position within kinetoplastids, and the sole described species, ...
Iñaki Ruiz-Trillo
NIOO-KNAW
MPI for Marine Microbiology
ISEP
ScienceOpen
Jess Holz