For Sally Walling, protists are absolutely underrated wildlife.
“Protists are very charismatic and interesting,” says Walling, who studies these creatures at the Earlham Institute in Norwich, England. Within this diverse group of mostly single-celled eukaryotes (organisms with DNA packed inside their nucleus), some are hunters and others are prey. Some live in colonies, while others live alone. Some perform mating rituals and build their own small buildings to live in.
“It’s got all the things going on that we normally associate with more complex animals,” Walling says. “It’s just not very well studied because it’s difficult to study.”
Walling’s research examines the genetic blueprints, or genomes, of protists. “Genomes give us information about what these organisms are like, how they live, what they need to eat.” It gives us information on whether or not there are people there,” Walling said. It could help explore more than little-known protist biodiversity. It would also be possible to incorporate more familiar types of life into a more appropriate context.
“Protists make up the bulk of eukaryotic diversity,” Walling says. “So if you want to understand how different groups of eukaryotes, including animals, plants, fungi, and important parasites, evolved, you need to understand what’s going on in protists.”.
In this interview, Waring shares her thoughts on her experience. Exploring science news. (This interview has been edited for content and readability.)
How did you become interested in protists?
During my undergrad, I randomly took a course on protists and was just blown away. We were able to observe various protists through the microscope and were able to see the following organisms. volvox and Paramecium And amoeba.
I had never thought about these creatures before. I didn’t know anything about them. And I couldn’t believe how complex an organism the size of a single cell can be, exhibiting behaviors and lifestyles. Or if: volvoxcolony of cells.
What is your favorite protist?
i like volvoxmainly because it was one of the first things I saw and it’s really beautiful. Since it is a colony, it is large enough to be seen with the naked eye. If you find them blooming in your pond, just hold the water up to the light and watch them move around all at once.
I’m currently working on a group of protists called Euglenozoa, which are also high in popularity. They come in different colors and sizes and have all kinds of different features. one of my favorites is Facus. When they move around, they look like fallen leaves. It’s really beautiful.
How was your situation? Instagram pound life start?
It started when I was in my doctoral program through a conversation with a man I’m currently married to. He asked about my protist research and asked, “Why are you interested in that?” And I said: “They look great and do all the cool things.” He said, “I think they would make great TV.”
I then spent some time figuring out how to use my iPhone to take pictures through a microscope. And I started going around New York City collecting samples. Just put them under the microscope and photograph them What I liked.
How do you foster creativity?
If you need a break from your computational work, sit down in front of the microscope and just spend some time looking at things. I think talking with colleagues is also very valuable.
When I’m working on a problem that’s bothering me, I sometimes get up and take a short walk outside or around the building. Sometimes a project turns over in my head and an idea pops into my head.
What advice do you wish you had received when you were younger?
When I tell people I’m a scientist, I sometimes get the reaction that I might be bored. As if it’s just something that processes a bunch of numbers, and that’s part of it. But I think people underestimate the level of creativity that is important in science. I underestimated it too. I didn’t go into science until late in my undergrad because I had the impression that it wasn’t very creative. But it really is.
Probably my favorite part of my job is thinking about problems and figuring out the best way to solve them. I wish I could say that to myself a few years ago. “You don’t have to feel like you have to follow the rules all the time.” Try being more creative in how you think about tools, problem-solving, and even hypotheses.
Source: www.snexplores.org
