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What are protists

Protists are a diverse collection of organisms. While exceptions exist, they are primarily microscopic and unicellular, or made up of a single cell. The cells of protists are highly organized with a nucleus and specialized cellular machinery called organelles.

At one time, simple organisms such as amoebas and single-celled algae were classified together in a single taxonomic category: the kingdom Protista. However, the emergence of better genetic information has since led to a clearer understanding of evolutionary relationships among different groups of protists, and this classification system was rendered defunct. Understanding protists and their evolutionary history continues to be a matter of scientific discovery and discussion.

Characteristics All living organisms can be broadly divided into two groups — prokaryotes and eukaryotes — which are distinguished by the relative complexity of their cells. In contrast to prokaryotic cells, eukaryotic cells are highly organized. Bacteria and archaea are prokaryotes, while all other living organisms — protists, plants, animals and fungi — are eukaryotes.