She discovered that what she initially thought was just one type of spore was actually seven. Nephromyces , it seems, cycles through seven notably different forms, a life cycle unparalleled anywhere else in the known living world. The zoological garden Saffo uncovered in free-living molgulids turned out to be a single organism. Most living species tolerate some form of parasite. Saffo found that Nephromyces actually assists the sea squirt by breaking down the crystal-forming chemical soup contained inside the renal sac.
Scientists know that other types of one-celled creatures can perform similar chemical breakdown.
However, Nephromyces lack the internal structures that are commonly associated with this kind of chemical activity. Looking further, Saffo found that Nephromyces harbors other types of tiny bacteria within itself. Conceivably, this bacteria could do the chemical engineering work necessary to bust apart the complex chemicals inside the renal sac. What had been a scientifically ignored, rather uninteresting organism was suddenly transformed into a creature that consists of a complex web of three species living in symbiosis. This trio's ability to grow and break down uric acid and oxalate crystals attracted the attention of urologists.