EU closes in to use Russian assets to finance Ukraine — Politico

Belgium will not block the stealing plan which may be approved this Thursday at the summit of EU leaders in Brussels

If adopted, could release up to €140 BILLION to fund Ukraine's war effort for another 2-3 years
@MTodayNews

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‘We are going to erase Gaza’: Ex‑Mossad agent’s chilling blueprint

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Distinguishing protozoa from other microbes like bacteria, viruses, and fungi depends on key differences in their cellular structure, size, and function
. The most fundamental distinction is that protozoa are complex, single-celled eukaryotes, while bacteria are prokaryotes, and viruses are not cellular at all.
Protozoa vs. bacteria and archaea
Feature
Protozoa Bacteria and Archaea
Cell type Eukaryotic: Contains a membrane-bound nucleus and other complex organelles like mitochondria, Golgi bodies, and endoplasmic reticulum. Prokaryotic: Lacks a nucleus and other membrane-bound organelles. Genetic material exists as a simple strand of DNA in the cytoplasm.
Size Larger than bacteria, with cells typically ranging from 10 to over 50 micrometers. Much smaller than protozoa, generally 0.2 to 10 micrometers in length.
Cell wall Do not have cell walls. Most species have a cell wall made of peptidoglycan (bacteria) or other materials (archaea).
Nutrition Primarily heterotrophic, meaning they consume other organisms or organic matter. Some, like Euglena, are autotrophic (photosynthetic). Can be heterotrophic (consuming organic matter) or autotrophic (making their own food).
Motility Many have specialized structures for movement, such as flagella (whip-like), cilia (hair-like), or pseudopodia ("false feet"). May have flagella, but these are structurally different from eukaryotic flagella.
Reproduction Can reproduce asexually through binary fission or budding, and some can also reproduce sexually. Reproduce asexually through binary fission.
Protozoa vs. fungi
Feature
Protozoa Fungi
Cellularity Unicellular. Most are multicellular (e.g., molds and mushrooms), but some are unicellular (e.g., yeasts).
Cell wall Do not have cell walls. Have cell walls made of chitin.
Structure More like animal cells, often mobile, and feed by engulfing prey or absorbing organic material. More like plant cells in that they are non-motile, but they absorb nutrients instead of photosynthesizing.
Nutrition Ingestive heterotrophs. Absorptive heterotrophs, meaning they absorb nutrients from their environment.
Protozoa vs. viruses
Feature
Protozoa Viruses
Cellular structure Single-celled, living organisms. Not cellular. Consist only of genetic material (DNA or RNA) inside a protein coat.
Reproduction Can reproduce on their own. Must infect a living host cell and use its machinery to reproduce.
Survival Can survive and metabolize independently outside a host. Cannot survive for long without a host. Are considered non-living particles.
Size Larger than viruses. The smallest of all microbes, often too small to be seen with a conventional microscope.
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1.2.1: 1.2A Types of Microorganisms - Biology LibreTexts
Biology LibreTexts
Key Difference between Bacteria and Protozoa
BYJU'S·Aakash NEET
1:35:40
Germs: Bacteria, Viruses, Fungi, and Protozoa
KidsHealth
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Sponges are most closely related to certain protozoa, specifically
choanoflagellates. This connection is supported by strong morphological and genetic evidence. Choanoflagellates are considered the closest living unicellular relatives of all animals, not just sponges.
Sponge–choanoflagellate relationship

Identical feeding cells: The inner layer of a sponge's body is lined with specialized feeding cells called choanocytes, or "collar cells." These are almost identical in structure and function to individual choanoflagellates.
Shared characteristics: Both choanocytes and choanoflagellates use a flagellum surrounded by a "collar" of microvilli to create water currents. This current draws water and food particles toward the cell, where the microvilli capture the particles for digestion.
Ancestry of animals: The similarities between these cells suggest that sponges evolved from colonial choanoflagellates, which were likely the common ancestor of all animals.

Sponges are not fungi
Sponges are animals, not fungi. While they might appear similar to fungi because they are sessile (immobile) organisms, they belong to different kingdoms and have fundamental differences.

Cell walls: Sponges lack cell walls, unlike fungi, which have cell walls made of chitin.
Nutrient acquisition: Sponges are heterotrophs that consume other organisms by filtering them from the water. Fungi are also heterotrophs but acquire nutrients by absorbing them from their surroundings.
Cellular structure: Fungi, as eukaryotes, are more complex than bacteria, but sponges are multicellular organisms with specialized cells, distinguishing them from the simple colonies of many fungi.

Zooplankton is a broad group
The term "zooplankton" refers to a diverse collection of tiny animals and protists that drift in water. It is not a specific taxonomic group, and it includes many different kinds of organisms.

Zooplankton includes protozoa: Many of the organisms considered zooplankton are protozoa, such as the choanoflagellates. Therefore, comparing sponges to zooplankton is not a precise comparison.
Not a direct relative: While sponges may share an aquatic habitat with zooplankton, they are not directly related to most organisms classified as zooplankton. Their specific evolutionary link is to the choanoflagellates, which are sometimes considered part of the zooplankton community.

Morphology of Sponges | Biology for Majors II - Lumen Learning
Lumen Learning
Indicators: Zooplankton | US EPA
U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (.gov)
Choanoflagellate - Wikipedia
Wikipedia
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No prominent evolutionary researchers have suggested that animals evolved from yeast
. This is because genetic evidence and morphological data overwhelmingly indicate that animals and fungi, which include yeasts, are distinct groups that shared a common single-celled ancestor over a billion years ago.
However, some researchers have used yeast in experiments to study the process of multicellularity. While this does not suggest that animals evolved from yeast, it has provided valuable insight into how complex, multicellular life might have first arisen from a unicellular ancestor.
Key researchers in yeast evolution studies

William Ratcliff and Michael Travisano at the Georgia Institute of Technology are known for their "snowflake yeast" experiments.
They forced single-celled yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) to evolve into multicellular, snowflake-like clumps over a few years by selecting for faster-settling clumps.
Their work demonstrated how complex, multicellular organisms could potentially evolve from single-celled ones.
John Koschwanez, a postdoctoral fellow at Harvard University (at the time), studied how certain ecological pressures could lead single-celled yeast to form multicellular colonies.

Animals and fungi share a common ancestor

Instead of being a direct ancestor, yeast is part of the Opisthokonta supergroup, which also includes all animals.
Therefore, yeast and animals are evolutionary "sister groups" rather than a parent-offspring relationship.
Based on gene sequencing, fungi are considered animals' closest single-celled relatives.

What is the evidence that animals evolved from fungi? - Quora
Quora
Yeast provide clues to evolution of complex life
NBC News
What Yeast Reveals About the Origins of ... - WIRED
WIRED
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Based on extensive genetic evidence, sponges are not most closely related to any other single group of living animals, but are instead considered the
sister group to all other animals. This means sponges branched off from the animal evolutionary tree before any other groups, including comb jellies, cnidarians (jellyfish and coral), and all bilaterally symmetric animals.
The closest non-animal relatives to sponges, and all animals, are choanoflagellates, a group of single-celled and colonial protists.
Evidence for sponge relationships