Question

why would you want to study the protist?

Answer 1

only the guys studying protists actually know that. :-) there is a kind of disclosed fame involved about who can kiss theirs the longest ^^

seriously, though: protists can be very interesting, as virtually every organism there is on earth has a protist as its evolutionary ancestor. and because this kind of relationship is traceable on the DNA-level, they can study what is yet to be discovered: 'missing links' in evolutionary heritage, as well as origins of life at all.