http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/fungus/ All about the fungus kingdom. From beneficial soil fungus to fungal infections, read the current research news on fungus here. en-us Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:05:01 EST Wed, 25 Nov 2009 09:05:01 EST 60 http://www.sciencedaily.com/images/logosmall.gif http://www.sciencedaily.com/news/plants_animals/fungus/ For more science articles, visit ScienceDaily. http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141032.htm Leaf-cutter ants, which cultivate fungus for food, have many remarkable qualities. Here's a new one to add to the list: the ant farmers, like their human counterparts, depend on nitrogen-fixing bacteria to make their gardens grow. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141032.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114640.htm Amphibians like frogs and toads have existed for 360 million years and survived when the dinosaurs didn't, but a new aquatic fungus is threatening to make many of them extinct, according to a new article. Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091123114640.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120000437.htm Food production of modern human societies is mostly based on large-scale monoculture crops, but it now appears that advanced insect societies have the same practice. Our societies took just ten thousand years of (mainly cultural) evolution to adopt this habit and we are far from convinced that it is sustainable. Farming ants and termites had tens of millions of years to evolve their fungus farming systems and here monocultures are apparently evolutionary stable. Sun, 22 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091120000437.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111413.htm Scientists have described for the first time how the telomeres and adjacent sequences of the oyster fungus are organized. Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111413.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119135642.htm Most countries throughout the world participate in the $40-million-per-year culinary trade of frog legs in some way, with 75 percent of frog legs consumed in France, Belgium and the United States. Scientists have found that this trade is a potential carrier of pathogens deadly to amphibians. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119135642.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119212100.htm A new study suggests that naturally occurring bacteria on the skin of salamanders could help protect other amphibians, including some species of endangered frogs, from a lethal skin disease. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119212100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141029.htm Roughly 15,000 years ago, at the end of the last ice age, North America's vast assemblage of large animals -- including such iconic creatures as mammoths, mastodons, camels, horses, ground sloths and giant beavers -- began their precipitous slide to extinction. Fri, 20 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119141029.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119101209.htm Certain wild flax plants growing in poor soils have succeeded in balancing the stress in their lives -- these plants are less likely to experience infection from a fungal pathogen. The new study attempts to quantitatively explain how plants have evolved a specialization to serpentine soils and ultimately may help to explain floristic diversity in these unique environments. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119101209.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111415.htm Researchers have developed a new model system to study fungal infections. The system can be a powerful tool for screening potential drug targets for conditions like thrush, athlete's foot and vaginal yeast infections, which affect millions of people each year but are difficult to treat with existing medications. Using the new model, the researchers also identified a gene that may be a promising target for a new anti-fungal drug. Thu, 19 Nov 2009 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091119111415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103439.htm Infectious organisms that become resistant to antibiotics are a serious threat to human society. They are also a natural part of evolution. In a new project, researchers in Sweden are attempting to find substances that can slow the pace of evolution, in order to ensure that the drugs of today remain effective into the future. Tue, 17 Nov 2009 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091116103439.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110135415.htm The war between the sexes has been fought on many fronts throughout time -- from humans to birds to insects, the animal kingdom is replete with species involved in their own skirmishes. A recent study demonstrates that certain plants, with some help from fungal friends, may also be involved in this fray. Thu, 12 Nov 2009 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091110135415.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106145300.htm Researchers have discovered a fungal protein that plays a key role in causing disease in plants and animals and which also shields the pathogen from oxidative stress. Sun, 08 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091106145300.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102085819.htm Moose eat plants; wolves kill moose. What difference does this classic predator-prey interaction make to biodiversity? A large and unexpected one, say wildlife biologists. Tue, 03 Nov 2009 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/11/091102085819.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028192611.htm Two genetic mutations that may put individuals at increased risk of fungal infections have been identified by scientists, increasing understanding about the genetic basis of these infections and potentially aiding the development of new treatments. Fri, 30 Oct 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028192611.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028114021.htm The skin of that pumpkin you carve into a Jack-o'-Lantern to scare away ghosts and goblins on Halloween contains a substance that could put a scare into microbes that cause millions of cases of yeast infections in adults and infants each year, according to a new study. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028114021.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028112609.htm Researchers have identified wheat and barley lines resistant to crown rot -- a disease that costs Australian wheat and barley farmers $79 million in lost yield every year. Thu, 29 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091028112609.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019141538.htm A workshop at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute in Panama has nearly doubled the number of people capable of quatitatively testing for chytridiomycosis, dramatically improving the ability of conservationists and regulatory agencies to monitor the spread of one of the deadliest frog diseases on Earth. Tue, 27 Oct 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091019141538.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015112138.htm The fact that they eat a lot -- and often -- may explain why most people and other mammals are protected from the majority of fungal pathogens, according to new research. Sun, 18 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091015112138.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005123045.htm Seven new glow-in-the-dark mushroom species have been discovered, increasing the number of known luminescent fungi species from 64 to 71. The new finds include two new species named after movements in Mozart's Requiem. The discoveries also shed light on the evolution of luminescence, adding to the number of known lineages in the fungi "family tree" where luminescence has been reported. Mon, 05 Oct 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091005123045.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001181051.htm Tiny organisms that covered the planet more than 250 million years ago appear to be a species of ancient fungus that thrived in dead wood, according to new research. Scientists believe that the organisms were able to thrive during this period because the world's forests had been wiped out. This would explain how the organisms, which are known as Reduviasporonites, were able to proliferate across the planet. Fri, 02 Oct 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001181051.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001235445.htm Biopesticides containing a fungus that is pathogenic to mosquitoes may be an effective means of reducing malaria transmission, particularly if used in combination with insecticide-treated bednets, according to a modeling study. Results of the study show that incorporating this novel vector control technique into existing vector management programs may substantially reduce malaria transmission rates and help manage insecticide resistance. Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/10/091001235445.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915154851.htm Researchers have helped developed a cheaper, faster way to compile draft genome sequences that could advance the fight against mountain pine beetle (MPB) infestation and improve cancer research. Tue, 29 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090915154851.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923110320.htm In areas where malaria mosquitoes have become resistant to chemical pesticides, mosquito-killing fungi can be an effective tool. Fungal spores can effectively infect and kill malaria mosquitoes, even those that are resistant to pesticides. Moreover, the mosquitoes become more susceptible to the pesticides as the fungal infection increases. Thu, 24 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090923110320.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922160100.htm Everyone knows that frogs are in trouble. But a recent analysis of frog surveys done at eight Central American sites shows the situation is worse than thought. Under pressure from an invasive fungus, the frogs in this biodiversity hot spot are undergoing "a vast homogenization." "We're witnessing the McDonaldization of the frog communities," comments the lead author of the new study. Wed, 23 Sep 2009 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090922160100.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911095404.htm Some budding yeast species have the ability to silence genes using RNA interference (RNAi), new research shows. Until now, most researchers thought that no budding yeasts possess the RNAi pathway because Saccharomyces cerevisiae, the protoypical model budding yeast does not. Some budding yeasts cause human diseases, while other budding yeasts are used in research as models for more complicated organisms, in industry to create beer and biofuels, and in pharmaceuticals to produce drugs and vaccines. Tue, 15 Sep 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090911095404.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914111418.htm At the 27th "Osnabrücker Baumpflegetagen," a researcher's biotech violin dared to go head to head in a blind test against a stradivarius -- and won! The new violin is made of wood treated with fungus, and played against an instrument made by the great master himself in 1711. Mon, 14 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090914111418.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817143640.htm Agricultural researchers are trying to outwit one of southern Australia's worst agricultural weeds. Thu, 10 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090817143640.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090907214308.htm Although not as well known as bacterial infections, such as MRSA and E. coli, fungal infections such as that caused by the yeast Candida albicans can be more serious and lead to a higher death rate. Using mutant forms of the C. albicans yeast which lacked different parts of the yeast cell wall, researchers have uncovered a three-pronged mechanism by which the body's immune defenses attack the invading fungus. Tue, 08 Sep 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090907214308.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901105146.htm Like most invasive plants introduced to the U.S. from Europe and other places, garlic mustard first found it easy to dominate the natives. A new study indicates that eventually, however, its primary weapon -- a fungus-killing toxin injected into the soil -- becomes less potent. Thu, 03 Sep 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090901105146.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902161118.htm New research provides the first genome-wide look at the mutations in strains of the fungus Trichoderma reesei in order to understand just how the production of enzymes that break down cellulose production was first improved, and how it can be boosted even further for industrial applications such as biofuel production. Thu, 03 Sep 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/09/090902161118.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090717150250.htm Thread-like fungi that grow in soils at high elevations may play an important role in restoring whitebark and limber pine forests in Canada. Researchers are looking for ways to use fungi to help pine seedlings get a strong start. Tue, 01 Sep 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090717150250.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824151256.htm Researchers have found a surprising but reliable marker of colony collapse disorder, a baffling malady that in 2007-2008 killed off more than a third of commercial honey bees in the US. Their study is the first to identify a single, objective molecular marker of the disorder, and to propose a data-driven hypothesis to explain the mysterious disappearance of American honey bees. Tue, 25 Aug 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090824151256.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090825203339.htm The complete asexuality of a widespread fungus-gardening ant, the only ant species in the world known to have dispensed with males entirely, has been confirmed. Tue, 25 Aug 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090825203339.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090821163523.htm Lichens are the classic example of a symbiotic relationship. Both the fungal and photobiont components of the lichen benefit from the relationship and often are unable to survive without each other. Recent research has put a new spin on this relationship. Mon, 24 Aug 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090821163523.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813190936.htm Three Thai orchids have been found to rely on a wide range of fungi to help them take carbon out of the soil instead of producing their own organic carbon. Sat, 22 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090813190936.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090812163750.htm Researchers have determined that Candida albicans, a human fungal pathogen, pursues both same-sex and the more conventional opposite-sex mating. Sun, 16 Aug 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090812163750.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730233519.htm A recent study on human genetics on various populations across the world has shown how pathogens can shape the patterns of genetic diversity of our immune system over time. Results show that bacteria, fungi and parasites, unlike viruses, appear to have allowed the introduction of mutations in the genes of some proteins of the innate immunity system, thus enabling greater genetic variability. In some cases, these mutations may even constitute an advantage, giving the human host improved resistance to infectious diseases such as leprosy or tuberculosis. Sat, 15 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090730233519.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811161345.htm Scientists describe new details about a fungal parasite that coerces ants into dying in just the right spot -- one that is ideal for the fungus to grow and reproduce. Their study shows just how precisely the fungus manipulates the behavior of its hapless hosts. Thu, 13 Aug 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090811161345.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803185832.htm New research provides even more evidence that a previously undescribed, cold-loving fungus is associated with white-nose syndrome, a condition linked to the deaths of up to 1,000,000 cave-hibernating bats in the northeastern and mid-Atlantic states. Since the winter of 2006-2007, bat populations plummeted from 80 to 97 percent at surveyed bat-hibernation caves, called hibernacula. Mon, 10 Aug 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/08/090803185832.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090719185107.htm Kudzu, "The Vine that Ate the South," could meet its match in a naturally occurring fungus that scientists have formulated as a biologically based herbicide. Mon, 20 Jul 2009 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090719185107.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090707093627.htm Medical mycologists have genetically engineered a live, attenuated vaccine that successfully protects mice against coccidioidomycosis. Mon, 13 Jul 2009 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090707093627.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702080525.htm Viruses can cost winegrowers an entire harvest. If they infest the grapevines, even pesticides are often no use. What’s more, these chemicals are harmful to the environment. Researchers are growing plants that produce antibodies against the viruses and are thus immune. Wed, 08 Jul 2009 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090702080525.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701163647.htm Home gardeners beware: This year, late blight -- a destructive infectious disease that caused the Irish potato famine in the 1840s -- is killing tomato and potato plants in gardens and on commercial farms in the eastern United States. In addition, basil downy mildew is affecting plants in the Northeast. Sun, 05 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/07/090701163647.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615185424.htm Researchers have identified cells in blood that predict which HIV-positive individuals are most likely to develop deadly fungal meningitis, a major cause of HIV-related death. This form of meningitis affects more than 900,000 HIV-infected people globally--most of them in sub-Saharan Africa and other areas of the world where antiretroviral therapy for HIV is not available. Sat, 04 Jul 2009 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615185424.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615111757.htm Potato blight, false mildew, sudden oak death and a disease in salmon are all caused by a group of miniscule, yet destructive, organisms called Oomycetes. Because of their changeability and huge numbers, they are able to overwhelm the defence mechanisms of both plants and animals. The use of chemicals is usually the only remedy but this is also undesirable. Will future research offer a sustainable means of combating these blights and preventing failed harvests? Thu, 25 Jun 2009 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615111757.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615203058.htm Researchers have identified a novel regulatory gene network that plays an important role in the spread of common, and sometimes deadly, fungal infections. The findings establish the role of Zap1 protein in the activation of genes that regulate the synthesis of biofilm matrix. Wed, 17 Jun 2009 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615203058.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090610160910.htm Studying the ecology and distribution of plants does not take place solely in the forest. A new way of searching in scientific databases has enabled researchers to discover kinship between fungi from Sweden and Thailand - and has revealed some species with incorrect generic names into the bargain. Mon, 15 Jun 2009 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090610160910.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615144215.htm As part of ongoing research on Sao Tome and Principe, a new Phallus mushroom has been discovered and described. Phallus drewesii belongs to a group of mushrooms known as stinkhorns which give off a foul, rotting meat odor. There are 28 other species of Phallus fungi worldwide, but this particular species is notable for its small size, white net-like stem, and brown spore-covered head. It is also the only Phallus species to curve downward instead of upward. Mon, 15 Jun 2009 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/06/090615144215.htm