Julie Boisard

We’ve extended the deadline!

Huge news 🌍🧬
The Protist 10,000 Genomes Project is joining the Earth BioGenome Project.
Protists may represent the majority of eukaryotic diversity — yet only a tiny fraction have reference genomes.
Time to change that. 🚀✨
Learn more 👉 ngdc.cncb.ac.cn/p10k/
#EBP #Protists #Genomics #TreeOfLife

Tom Cavalier-Smith in Cornwall UK 23 August 2017, photo by Neal C-S

I am happy to share the unfinished but nevertheless fascinating autobiography of the late Thomas Cavalier-Smith, written in 2020, shortly before Tom passed away in 2021. I thank Ema Cavalier-Smith for sharing the text with me. I recently finished curating […]

[Original post on biologists.social]

Have a novel protist's genome or transcriptome and want to predict it's mitochondrial proteome? Look no further than CoMR, this handy bioinformatic workflow to help you: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6... #phylogenetics

Check out our latest pre-print of our favourite pets - the breviates. This work was led by Zhezhen Yi in collaboration with @andrewjroger.bsky.social and many others! By studying diverse breviates we were able to see how different metabolic pathways can evolved in response to low-oxygen.

New preprint out! Using ~75k environmental OTUs + 77 fossil calibrations, we reconstructed a Proterozoic timeline of eukaryote evolution. Our results show crown eukaryotes were already diversifying >1.6 Ga, long before the first undisputed fossils (~1.05 Ga).
🔗 DOI: www.biorxiv.org/content/10.6...

Save the date! The next instalment of Comparative Genomics of Unicellular Eukaryotes is a GO! Join us next year for a programme of talks, posters, ECR/networking activities.

Website and registration details to follow in the coming weeks.
See you October 5-10 2026 in beautiful San Feliu!!

Is it a flagellate? A tiny ball with tentacles? Contamination in my ciliate culture? NEW SUPERGROUP OF EUKARYOTES? Yes to all 4! Meet Solarion - just out in #Nature doi.org/10.1038/s415... Huge congrats to Marek Valt, Cepicka Lab & the star team! Very happy to be part of this project. #ProtistsOnSky

Anaerobic breviate protist survival in microcosms depends on microbiome metabolic function Abstract. Anoxic and hypoxic environments serve as habitats for diverse microorganisms, including unicellular eukaryotes (protists) and prokaryotes. To thr

Now completely published :)
Really proud of this paper led with Karla at @cstairs.bsky.social lab.
doi.org/10.1093/isme...

How did life get multicellular? Five simple organisms could have the answer Single-celled species that often stick together in colonies have researchers rethinking the origin of animals.

For some three billion years, unicellular organisms ruled Earth. Then, around one billion years ago, a new chapter of life began

go.nature.com/3JyRV4S

Twelve species of human parasites make up half of the literature on microbial eukaryotes Although microbial eukaryotes comprise the majority of eukaryotic phylogenetic diversity and inhabit nearly all ecosystems globally, most research focuses on only a few species of human parasites. Her...

New lab pre-print up! "Twelve species of human parasites make up half the literature on microbial eukaryotes"
doi.org/10.1101/2025...

We (led by UG Joanna Lepper and with @hbrappap.bsky.social) quantified all mentions of protist species in the scientific literature 🧵

#protistsonsky #microsky

Check out our recent publication on breviate protists and their microbial communities. In this study, led by PhD student Karla and postdoc Julie, we found that breviate growth under anoxia might be dependent on the metabolic capabilities of the prokaryotes they live with.

doi.org/10.1093/isme...

atlantic puffins

Got lucky to spot some adorable puffins hanging out in the Faroe Islands 🐧🐧📸🪶

The first issue of Amoeba Discovery is here! This marks the beginning of a new magazine for exploration, creativity, and collaboration across #protistsonsky. Endless thanks to @zlatogursky.bsky.social for the stunning cover illustration!

Read the full (free) issue:
stefanluketa.com/amoeba-disco...

A little forest acrobat, busy doing squirrel things 🐿️📸
#RedSquirrel #Mammals #Canon

Attention ancient environmental DNA folks. In our recent preprint, we provide coordinates of microbial-like regions (contaminated or evolutionary conserved or convergent) for 4,294 eukaryotic reference genomes.

12600 cranes gathered in Skåne this weekend. It's a magical sight for bird lovers 🕊️

Protistology in the Nordics 2025 Come share your exciting new research in all areas of Protistology.

Registration is now open for the Protistology Nordics meeting 12–13 May in Jyväskylä
#protistsonsky

www.jyu.fi/en/events/pr...

Application deadline is today! Feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
🧪 #protistsonsky @uniofbath.bsky.social

RNA xkcd.com/3056

Looking at bioinformaticians’ profiles these days, you'd think everyone has decades of experience in cutting-edge single-cell and AI-driven bioinformatics. But something’s missing… 👇

Winter break reading 🍄
Protists are still the best, but fungi are a close second!

This Great Tit knows how to work the camera 📸🪶
#Birds #BirdPhotography #GreatTit #Canon

Protistology in the Nordics 2025 Come share your exciting new research in all areas of Protistology.

4th meeting of Protistology Nordics will be at the University of Jyväskylä, Finland from 12– 13 May 2025
www.jyu.fi/en/events/pr...
#protist #protistsonsky @uniofjyvaskyla.bsky.social

The rare beauty of a white deer in the wild 🦌✨
#Mammals #Nature #Wildlife #Photography #Canon

European hare

An alert European hare enjoying the greenery🐇🌿
#mammals #photography #nature #wildlife #canon

Transposable element exonization generates a reservoir of evolving and functional protein isoforms Transposable element exonization by unannotated splicing events produces stable protein isoforms with acquired functions that are subject to evolutionary selection.

It was only a matter of time.

www.cell.com/cell/fulltex...

White Wagtail

White Wagtail 🪶
Kullaberg Nature Reserve, Sweden

📷 Canon R7 + RF 100-400mm

I am looking for an ERC-funded postdoc to work on spatial proteomics of microalgae (red algae and glaucophytes). The ideal candidate will have experience with mass spec and data analysis (R), but above all a keen interest in broad eukaryote evolution and protists #protistsonsky (1/2)

Are you or do you know someone interested in symbiosis research? Anaeramoeba is an exciting organism to explore symbiosis in a low-oxygen environment.

Less than a week (December 6) to apply for the PhD position in my group!

uu.varbi.com/en/what:job/...

Please share widely!