![Euplotes patella [CC-BY-SA-4.0 Yikai Feng]](https://www.polypompholyx.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/12/Euplotes_patella_cc-by-sa-4.0_Yikai_Feng.jpg)
Our microscopy practical always turns up something new, which is the main reason I enjoy it. This year it was a ciliate called Euplotes patella. This kneecap-shaped critter is a single-celled organism masquerading as a tiny animal. The appendages that look like long hairs or legs are bundles of extra-long cilia called cirri, which it …