Image of the Day: Single-Cell Surprises

Researchers identify a new species of Hemimastigophora protist, and suggest the group should be promoted from a phylum to a supra-kingdom.

Written byJef Akst

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ABOVE: Hemimastix kukwesjijk, a newly described species
YANA EGLIT, DALHOUSIE UNIVERSITY; SPECIAL THANKS TO PATRICIA SCALLION, ELECTRON MICROSCOPY CORE FACILITY MANAGER

Single-cell eukaryotes currently grouped into the phylum Hemimastigophora deserve to be their own supra-kingdom, representing one of only 10 or fewer of the “most distinct branches of the eukaryote tree of life,” explains Yana Eglit, a graduate student in Alastair Simpson’s lab at the University of Dalhousie who coauthored a study on the organisms published yesterday (November 14) in Nature.

In addition to unearthing a new Hemimastigophora species, which the team dubbed Hemimastix kukwesjijk, the researchers’ analyses of the transcriptomes of hemimastigotes found along the Bluff Wilderness Trail in Nova Scotia, Canada, should establish these protists as a sister clade to Diaphoretickes—an informal supergroup that comprises up to one-half of eukaryote diversity.

“The previous ranking of Hemimastigophora as a phylum understates the evolutionary distinctiveness of this group, which has considerable ...

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Meet the Author

Jef Akst
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Jef (an unusual nickname for Jennifer) got her master’s degree from Indiana University in April 2009 studying the mating behavior of seahorses. After four years of diving off the Gulf Coast of Tampa and performing behavioral experiments at the Tennessee Aquarium in Chattanooga, she left research to pursue a career in science writing. As The Scientist's managing editor, Jef edited features and oversaw the production of the TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. In 2022, her feature on uterus transplantation earned first place in the trade category of the Awards for Excellence in Health Care Journalism. She is a member of the National Association of Science Writers.
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