amoeba (redirected from Testacea)

amoeba: see ameba.

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amoeba

Amoeba (magnified).

(credit: Russ Kinne/Photo Researchers)

One-celled protozoan that can form temporary extensions of cytoplasm (pseudopodia) in order to move about. Some amoebas are found on the bottom of freshwater streams and ponds. Others live in the human digestive system; one type causes amebic dysentery in humans. Each amoeba contains a small mass of jellylike cytoplasm with vacuoles and a nucleus. Food is taken in and material is excreted at any point on the cell surface. Amoebas are used extensively in cell research for determining the relative functions and interactions of the nucleus and the cytoplasm.

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1.	(operating system)	Amoeba - A distributed operating system developed by Andrew S. Tanenbaum and others of Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam. Amoeba is only available under licence from the VUA, but is free of charge and includes all source, binaries and documentation. http://am.cs.vu.nl/.
2.	(computer, abuse)	Amoeba - A derogatory term for Commodore's Amiga personal computer.