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This protist unfolds its ‘neck’ up to 30 times its body length to scout prey

The single-celled organism uses an element of origami to rapidly attack

a black and white image of two single-celled organisms. One is a compact cell with curved lines stacked close together. The other has extended its long neck and the lines are further apart.

Lacrymaria olor, a single-celled protist, can extend its neck up to 30 times its body length. These before-and-after images show how microtubules curve around the organism’s body to create curved pleats folded like origami that make the feat possible.

Eliott Flaum/Prakash Lab (CC BY-NC-ND)

By Erin Garcia de Jesús

- More than 2 years ago

Oddly, origami could be useful for snagging prey.