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Scientists previously believed that the relationship between the protozoa Paramecium bursaria and algae Chlorella sp. was most likely a mutually beneficial one. However, a recent study from the University of Exeter, UK, suggests that the protozoan host may in fact be exploiting the algae for the sugars they provide through photosynthesis. Testing the Paramecium–Chlorella symbiosis, they found that P. bursaria benefitted more with increased light intensity, whereas the researchers did not find any conditions where the algae benefitted more, nor where both species benefitted mutually.

If you are feeling stressed, your microbiome – the communities of microbes living in and on you – may be suffering too. A team at the University of Guelph, Canada, studied the link between stress and microbiomes in wild red squirrels, and found that individuals with low stress hormone levels had a more diverse microbiome, while increased stress caused a spike in potentially harmful bacteria, but less bacterial diversity.