Testate amoebae are a group of shelled protists, just a small part of a huge diversity of microscopic life. David M. Wilkinson delves into this microscopic world to demonstrate how these organisms exhibit complex ‘behaviour’, and to explore their ecology and uses in scientific monitoring.
France in the early 19th century – Léon Leclerc was making use of the recent improvements in microscope design to look at pond samples. Leclerc was a man of many interests, not only in natural history but also in fruit-growing, local politics and languages (including Chinese).