Pfiesteria piscicida is a dinoflagellate responsible for many blooms in the 1980s and 1990s on the coast of North Carolina. Pfiesteria piscicida, from http://ic. ... Classes Dinophyceae Noctiluciphyceae Syndiniophyceae The dinoflagellates are a large group of flagellate protists. ... A red tide resulting from a dinoflagellate bloom discoloring the water on the right An algal bloom is a relatively rapid increase in the population of (usually) phytoplankton algae in an aquatic system. ... // Events and trends The 1980s marked an abrupt shift towards more conservative lifestyles after the momentous cultural revolutions which took place in the 1960s and 1970s and the definition of the AIDS virus in 1981. ... // Events and trends The 1990s are generally classified as having moved slightly away from the more conservative 1980s, but keeping the same mind-set. ... State nickname: Tar Heel State Other U.S. States Capital Raleigh Largest city Charlotte Governor Michael Easley (D) Official languages English Area 139,509 km² (28th)  - Land 126,256 km²  - Water 13,227 km² (9. ...

Its living cycle is extremely complex: scientists have found at least 24 different stages, spanning from cyst to several amoeba-like forms. The organism apparently moves through these different stages as environmental conditions require. However, new research from 2002 claims the cycle is much simpler than previously thought, and that the true Pfisteria is non-toxic (see external links). :For the latest Star Wars film, see Revenge of the Cyst. ... Amoeba is a genus of protozoa that moves by means of temporary projections called pseudopods, and is well-known as a representative unicellular organism. ...

Pfiesteria produces a powerful toxin, used to kill fishes, even relatively large ones. The toxin can also be carried in the air, as experimenters learned when cultivating the organism in laboratory. A toxin, in a scientific context, is a biologically produced substance that causes injury to the health of a living thing on contact or absorption, typically by interacting with biological macromolecules such as enzymes and receptors. ...

Pfiesteria is named after Lois Pfiester, who researched dinoflagellates, and its species name means "fish-killer." The alga was discovered by JoAnn Burkholder at North Carolina State University. An in-depth story of her and her discovery can be found in And the Waters Turned to Blood by Rodney Barker. North Carolina State University is an institution of higher learning located in Raleigh, North Carolina. ...

External link

• Scientific American