Q&A: Fluorescence Lets Diatoms Communicate, Coordinate Behavior

The Scientist spoke with physicist and microbial ecologist Idan Tuval, whose recent paper challenges the assumption that these single-celled organisms only communicate via chemical signals.

black and white image of young man in sunglasses with trees in background
| 6 min read
Miscellaneous diatoms, appearing as translucent blue and brownish circles and rhomboid shapes, are imaged in front of a black background.

A microscope image of various diatoms living in Antarctica’s sea ice

NOAA, GORDON T. TAYLOR

Register for free to listen to this article
Listen with Speechify
0:00
6:00
Share

New research challenges a longstanding assumption about how unicellular organisms communicate and coordinate their behavior with one another. According to the study, published in Science Advances on Wednesday (December 15), at least one species of diatom can send and receive signals that previously went undetected by scientists.

Scientists assumed diatoms, which are single-celled phytoplankton, could only signal and communicate with one another by secreting infochemicals. The new study suggests that the pelagic diatom Pseudo-nitzschia delicatissima can also communicate with others through red and infrared autofluorescence triggered by exposure to sunlight. When exposed to lights of the right frequencies, diatoms in a lab synchronized their behavior, aligning vertically in the water and wobbling in time with one another, suggesting that they’re capable of coordinated social behavior.

To learn more, The Scientist spoke with Idan Tuval, a physicist-turned-microbial ecologist at the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies, about how he and his team ...

Interested in reading more?

Become a Member of

The Scientist Logo
Receive full access to more than 35 years of archives, as well as TS Digest, digital editions of The Scientist, feature stories, and much more!
Already a member? Login Here

Keywords

Meet the Author

  • black and white image of young man in sunglasses with trees in background

    Dan Robitzski

    Dan is a News Editor at The Scientist. He writes and edits for the news desk and oversees the “The Literature” and “Modus Operandi” sections of the monthly TS Digest and quarterly print magazine. He has a background in neuroscience and earned his master's in science journalism at New York University.
Share
Image of a woman in a microbiology lab whose hair is caught on fire from a Bunsen burner.
April 1, 2025, Issue 1

Bunsen Burners and Bad Hair Days

Lab safety rules dictate that one must tie back long hair. Rosemarie Hansen learned the hard way when an open flame turned her locks into a lesson.

View this Issue
Conceptual image of biochemical laboratory sample preparation showing glassware and chemical formulas in the foreground and a scientist holding a pipette in the background.

Taking the Guesswork Out of Quality Control Standards

sartorius logo
An illustration of PFAS bubbles in front of a blue sky with clouds.

PFAS: The Forever Chemicals

sartorius logo
Unlocking the Unattainable in Gene Construction

Unlocking the Unattainable in Gene Construction

dna-script-primarylogo-digital
Concept illustration of acoustic waves and ripples.

Comparing Analytical Solutions for High-Throughput Drug Discovery

sciex

Products

Green Cooling

Thermo Scientific™ Centrifuges with GreenCool Technology

Thermo Fisher Logo
Singleron Avatar

Singleron Biotechnologies and Hamilton Bonaduz AG Announce the Launch of Tensor to Advance Single Cell Sequencing Automation

Zymo Research Logo

Zymo Research Launches Research Grant to Empower Mapping the RNome

Magid Haddouchi, PhD, CCO

Cytosurge Appoints Magid Haddouchi as Chief Commercial Officer