Amoebae are single-celled eukaryotic organisms that are closer in structure to the cells in your body than prokaryotic organisms such as viruses or bacteria. Their DNA is held in cellular nuclei, unlike the free-flowing DNA of a virus. Amoebae live among damp soil, leaf litter and pools of water and can cause several diseases. Amoebae are either found ‘naked’ or in shells. These homes are either created from collected grains of sand and sediment or grown from small plates that are cemented together, as seen in this image. This image of two shells in soil was taken using a coloured scanning electron micrograph (SEM).