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 Tue, 13 May 2008 07:05:01 EDT Tue, 13 May 2008 07:05:01 EDT 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/2008/05/080508222429.htm Scientists have discovered how to keep one's tomatoes from wilting -- the answer lies at the molecular level. Farmers and fellow agriculturalists are continuously battling the ability of plant pathogens to co-evolve alongside their host's immune system. In agriculture, the most environmentally friendly way to combat the evolutionary change in plant diseases is to make use of the innate immune system of plants. Mon, 12 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508222429.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512172904.htm Fruit flies are dramatically different from humans not in their number of genes, but in the number of protein interactions in their bodies, according to scientists who have developed a new way of estimating the total number of interactions between proteins in any organism. Mon, 12 May 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080512172904.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508170916.htm Investigations continue into the cause of a mysterious illness that has killed thousands of bats since March 2008. At more than 25 caves and mines in the northeastern US, bats exhibiting a condition now referred to as "white-nosed syndrome" have been dying. The US Geological Survey recently issued a Wildlife Health Bulletin, advising wildlife and officials throughout the US to lookout for the condition known as "white-nose syndrome" and to report suspected cases of the disease. Sun, 11 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508170916.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508135223.htm Scientist have examined a new mechanism in the reproductive cycle of a certain species of mold. This mechanism protects the organism from genetic abnormalities by "silencing" unmatched genes during meiosis (sexual reproduction). The finding could have implications for higher organisms and may lead to precise "targeting" of unwanted genes, such as those from the HIV virus. Sun, 11 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080508135223.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505211822.htm Highly diverse and so far apparently untouched by emergent diseases, Malagasy frogs nevertheless are threatened by ongoing habitat destruction, making proactive conservation actions especially important for preserving this unique, pre-decline, amphibian fauna. Tue, 06 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505211822.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505211758.htm The model fungus Podospora anserina has undergone substantial evolution since its separation from Neurospora crassa, as revealed from the Podospora draft genome sequence published in Genome Biology. The study also shows that the Podospora genome contains a large, highly specialized set of genes potentially involved in the breakdown of complex carbon sources, which may have potential use in biotechnology applications. Tue, 06 May 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505211758.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505072838.htm Fungi may have an important role to play in the fate of potentially dangerous depleted uranium left in the environment after recent war campaigns, according to a new report in Current Biology. Fungi can "lock" depleted uranium into a mineral form that may be less likely to find its way into plants, animals, or the water supply. Tue, 06 May 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080505072838.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080504153753.htm A spidery fungus with a voracious appetite for military uniforms and canvas tents could hold the key to improvements in the production of biofuels, a team of government, academic and industry researchers has announced. Mon, 05 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080504153753.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501180247.htm Fire-derived charcoal is thought to be an important carbon sink. However, a new article in Science shows that charcoal promotes soil microbes and causes a large loss of soil carbon. There has been greatly increasing attention given to the potential of ‘biochar’, or charcoal made from biological tissues (e.g., wood) to serve as a long term sink of carbon in the soil. Sun, 04 May 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080501180247.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502091421.htm Scientists in Germany have discovered a new mechanism of infection for the most fatal bee disease. American Foulbrood is the only infectious disease which can kill entire colonies of bees. Every year, this notifiable disease is causing considerable economic loss to beekeepers all over the world. The only control measure is to destroy the infected hive. Sun, 04 May 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080502091421.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430123845.htm US scientists have re-awakened 'silent' metabolic pathways in fungi to reveal a new range of natural products. The research could provide not only a source of new drugs, but a way to "listen to what fungi are saying" to organisms around them. Fungi produce a wide variety of natural products, including potent toxins and life-saving drugs such as penicillin. As a result, the genetics of fungi have generated much interest in recent years. Thu, 01 May 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430123845.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430123552.htm Surely your bathroom is fungus-free once you've wiped the mold off the tiles? Not according to a new study. Scientists report that almost one in five rooms studied with no visible mold was in fact "highly contaminated" by fungus which could aggravate conditions such as asthma. Thu, 01 May 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080430123552.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408175312.htm The spiraling use of corn for food and fuel is creating heightened concerns about contamination of this staple crop with deadly aflatoxin. Produced by certain fungi that grow on corn, this contaminant is a known human carcinogen that especially threatens food safety in the developing world and can potentially cause the loss of hundreds of millions of dollars in the United States each year. Mon, 14 Apr 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080408175312.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080405092836.htm Beneficial flower-dwelling bacteria could soon join the fight against Fusarium graminearum, the fungus that causes Fusarium head blight disease ("scab") in wheat, barley and other cereal crops. Plant pathologists believe that the naturally occurring bacteria may compete with F. graminearum for nutrients exuded by the wheat plant's anthers. Wed, 09 Apr 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080405092836.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402151409.htm Scientists have provided the first description of a fungus responsible for the wilt of redbay trees along the coasts of South Carolina, Georgia and Florida. Plant pathologists have now provided results from their assessment of the fungus, the beetle that carries it, and their combined effect on redbay and other members of the laurel family, including sassafras, spicebush and avocado. Mon, 07 Apr 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402151409.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402131147.htm Scientists have identified a mechanism controlling multidrug resistance in fungi, a discovery that could help advance treatments for opportunistic fungal infections that frequently plague individuals with compromised immunity, such as patients receiving chemotherapy, transplant recipients treated with immunosuppressive drugs, and AIDS patients. Sun, 06 Apr 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080402131147.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172031.htm Half a century after most of Costa Rica's rainforests were cut down, researchers from the Boyce Thompson Institute took on a project that many thought was impossible -- restoring a tropical rainforest ecosystem. When the researchers planted worn-out cattle fields in Costa Rica with a sampling of local trees, native species began to move in and flourish, raising the hope that destroyed rainforests can one day be replaced. Sat, 29 Mar 2008 14:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080327172031.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326195628.htm New research opens a bigger window to understanding a deadly fungus that is killing off frogs throughout Central and South America, and that could threaten amphibian populations in North America as well. The research underscores the dire circumstances facing up to 43 percent of known amphibian species in the world and points up the need for more regulations, conservation efforts and quarantines to prevent the fungus' spread. Fri, 28 Mar 2008 05:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080326195628.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325135042.htm Discovery that a specific gene is integral to both fungal invasion of corn and development of a potentially deadly toxin in the kernels may lead to ways to control the pathogen and the poison. Researchers have evaluated the fungal gene ZFR1 and found that it is vital to the process of the fungus growing on corn kernels. Production of the toxin decreased when the scientists disabled the gene. Thu, 27 Mar 2008 02:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080325135042.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080321125116.htm The long, warm days of a typical California summer make life easy for sun-loving cotton plants. But a fungal enemy that causes what's known as Fusarium wilt can make things tough for the plants--and for growers' balance sheets, too. Tue, 25 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080321125116.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080324173459.htm It turns out ants, like humans, are true farmers. The difference is that ants are farming fungus. Entomologists are providing new insight into the agricultural abilities of ants and how these abilities have evolved throughout time. Tue, 25 Mar 2008 11:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080324173459.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320150030.htm Plants may cluster the genes needed to make defense chemicals, which may provide a way to discover new natural plant products of use as drugs, herbicides or crop protectants. Using a gene cluster that makes an antifungal compound in oats as a template, they uncovered a previously unknown gene cluster making a related compound in a different species, and now want to extend the search to other plants. Mon, 24 Mar 2008 08:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080320150030.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317123243.htm Their gentle nature, large size, odd sounds and low-maintenance care have made Madagascar hissing cockroaches popular educational tools and pets for years. But the giant insects also have one unfortunate characteristic: Their hard bodies and feces are home to many mold species that could be triggering allergies in the kids and adults who handle the bugs, according to a new study. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317123243.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317094851.htm Fungi do not have sexes, just so-called mating types. A new study shows that there are great similarities between the parts of DNA that determine the sex of plants and animals and the parts of DNA that determine mating types in certain fungi. This makes fungi interesting as new model organisms in studies of the evolutionary development of sex chromosomes. Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317094851.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317091046.htm A new and virulent wheat fungus, previously found in East Africa and Yemen, has moved to major wheat growing areas in Iran, reports the UN's Food and Agricultural Organization. The fungus is capable of wreaking havoc to wheat production by destroying entire fields. It is estimated that as much as 80 percent of all wheat varieties planted in Asia and Africa are susceptible to the wheat stem rust (Puccinia graminis). The spores of wheat rust are mostly carried by wind over long distances and across continents. Mon, 17 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317091046.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317094901.htm Scientists have made another major breakthrough -- the second in the past year -- in understanding a rare immune disorder called Job's syndrome. Job's syndrome is characterized by recurrent and often severe bacterial and fungal infections leading to outbreaks of abscesses and boils. Now, scientists have shown that Job's sufferers lack a specific type of infection-fighting white blood cell called Th17 cell, making them vulnerable to attacks by bacteria and fungi. Mon, 17 Mar 2008 20:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080317094901.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080307082022.htm From rabbits to horses to cows, many animals love alfalfa. America's premier pollinator of that crop, the alfalfa leafcutting bee (Megachile rotundata), is vulnerable to a deadly fungal disease called chalkbrood. But the bees might be best protected from chalkbrood if their leafy nests are sprayed with an iprodione fungicide. Tue, 11 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080307082022.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310103237.htm A long-term project has been deciphering the recognition mechanisms that are the basis of associations between plants, bacteria and fungi. They discovered that one of the genetic elements of plants called SymRK (symbiosis receptor kinase), essential for leguminous plants functioning in association with Rhizobium bacteria and mycorrhizal fungi, is also indispensable for establishment of symbiosis between the tropical tree Casuarina, and the nitrogen fixing bacterium Frankia. Mon, 10 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EDT http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080310103237.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305144228.htm Plants gained their ancestral toehold on dry land with considerable help from their fungal friends. Now, millennia later, that partnership is being exploited as a strategy to bolster biomass production for next generation biofuels. The genetic mechanism of this kind of symbiosis, which contributes to the delicate ecological balance in healthy forests, also provides insights into plant health that may enable more efficient carbon sequestration and enhanced phytoremediation, using plants to clean up environmental contaminants. Thu, 06 Mar 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080305144228.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304075746.htm Root nodule symbioses with nitrogen-fixing bacteria provide many plants with a source of nitrogen. This study uncovers evidence that changes in the gene SYMRK were involved in the evolution of this important biological innovation. Tue, 04 Mar 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/03/080304075746.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080227214208.htm Last year at four caves near Albany, N.Y., more than 10,000 bats died from a mysterious disease involving a white fungus growing on some bats' noses, leading researchers to dub it "white-nose syndrome." The mounting death toll stopped last year when spring arrived and the bats left the caves. But the deaths returned with a vengeance after the bats went into hibernation this winter. Fri, 29 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080227214208.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080201102216.htm Scientists have discovered that a type of gene in grain-producing plants halts infection by a disease-causing fungus that can destroy crops vital for human food supplies. The research team is the first to show that the same biochemical process protects an entire plant family - grasses - from the devastating, fungal pathogen. The naturally occurring disease resistance probably is responsible for the survival of grains and other grasses over the past 60 million years. Grasses' ability to ward off pathogens is a major concern because grasses, including corn, barley, rice, oats and sorghum, provide most of the calories people consume, and some species also increasingly are investigated for conversion into energy. Wed, 06 Feb 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080201102216.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080204110508.htm They're here, there, and everywhere: Toxins produced by a common fungus are spreading beyond food crops and invading the environment, including water supplies, with unknown consequences, researchers in Switzerland report. Their study reveals a need for stronger monitoring and control of these overlooked micropollutants. Wed, 06 Feb 2008 17:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/02/080204110508.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080126172454.htm Using tomatoes as a research plant, scientists have discovered that two plant enzymes that occur in the plant's cell walls cooperate with each other to make ripe fruit more susceptible to a disease-causing fungus. Thu, 31 Jan 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080126172454.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080128113204.htm Researchers find lens care solutions are inadequately tested with an outdated and irrelevant fungus strain. New research shows that corneal infections associated with soft contact lenses are fueled and made resistant to treatment by the formation of a highly resistant structure of microbial cells held together with a glue-like matrix material. Scientists call this conglomeration of cells biofilms. Tue, 29 Jan 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080128113204.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080122154659.htm Scientists are establishing a facility to screen for potential new antibiotics. The aim of the project is to build a highly focused natural products drug discovery operation that will address the urgent need for bringing new antibiotic compounds to market. Wed, 23 Jan 2008 23:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080122154659.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080111221340.htm All species of termites are social insects, like ants. Entomologists have listed over 2000 species across the world and more than one-third of them live in Africa. This continent harbors 160 from the subfamily Macrotermitinae. Unlike other termites, the species of this subfamily cannot digest either cellulose or lignin, basic constituents of their food plants, and therefore call on the services of a symbiotic relationship with a higher fungus. Using roughly chewed and only slightly digested plant material, they make a small ventilated structure, the fungus comb or garden, on which another fungus will grow. Mon, 14 Jan 2008 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080111221340.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109173726.htm Fungi don't exactly come in boy and girl varieties, but they do have sex differences. In fact, a new finding shows that some of the earliest evolved forms of fungus contain clues to how the sexes evolved in higher animals, including that distant cousin of fungus, the human. Thu, 10 Jan 2008 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109173726.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109194652.htm A simple, cheap lab test can unerringly detect Sudden Death Syndrome, a costly fungal disease, in soybean seedlings. Once commercialized, its use will help breeders produce SDS-resistant soybean varieties much faster than they can now. "You can do a reliable assay in the greenhouse in a plastic cup and four weeks later, you'll see the result," said the biotechnologist who developed the procedure. "The seedlings develop the leaf symptoms and the root rot or they don't. It works every time, and the labor cost is very low -- about $1 per assay." Thu, 10 Jan 2008 02:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080109194652.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080102142555.htm The crystal structure of a molecule from a primitive fungus has served as a time machine to show researchers more about the evolution of life from the simple to the complex. By studying the three-dimensional version of the fungus protein bound to an RNA molecule, scientists have been able to visualize how life progressed from an early self-replicating molecule that also performed chemical reactions to one in which proteins assumed some of the work. Thu, 03 Jan 2008 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/01/080102142555.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071219105808.htm A detailed analysis of soil samples taken from a forest ecosystem with artificially elevated levels of atmospheric carbon dioxide reveals distinct changes in the mix of microorganisms living in the soil below trembling aspen. These changes could increase the availability of essential soil nutrients, thereby supporting increased plant growth and the plants' ability to "lock up," or sequester, excess carbon from the atmosphere. Thu, 20 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071219105808.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212201357.htm A new development in the fight against cancer: Molecules found in common fungus Ganoderma lucidum aid in suppressing some of the mechanisms involved in the progression of prostate cancer. The main action of the fungus: disrupting androgen receptor activity and impeding the proliferation of cancerous cells. Sun, 16 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071212201357.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071211233959.htm A new study looks at a poorly understood process with potentially critical consequences for climate change. Emma Sayer, postdoctoral fellow at the Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Jennifer Powers, an assistant professor in the University of Minnesota's Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, and Edmund Tanner, researcher at Cambridge University, published the findings of their long-term study on the effects of increased plant litter on soil carbon and nutrient cycling in the Dec. 12 edition of PLoS ONE. Wed, 12 Dec 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071211233959.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071205190906.htm Increasing numbers of critically ill patients develop fungal or yeast infections, which are associated with high mortality. Now a review compares treatments involving single-drug antifungal prophylaxis or a multi-drug regimen of selective digestive tract decontamination and suggests that both methods reduce yeast-related morbidity and mortality, but to different extents. Fri, 07 Dec 2007 11:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/12/071205190906.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071130234322.htm The UK's toad population could be facing a bleak future because of a deadly fungal disease. The deadly chytrid fungus Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis (Bd) is highly effective at causing extinctions among local populations of amphibians and it has already wiped out vast numbers of amphibians in areas including Australia and South America. Thu, 06 Dec 2007 20:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071130234322.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126151723.htm Scientists are counting on a "southern strategy" to protect the entire United States from Ug99, a strain of wheat stem rust disease that has spread from Africa to the Arabian Peninsula. The fungal strain was named for its discovery in Uganda in 1999. Wed, 28 Nov 2007 05:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071126151723.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071117211405.htm An entomology professor has discovered how to use scorpion genes to create a hypervirulent fungus that can kill specific insect pests, including mosquitoes that carry malaria and a beetle that destroys coffee crops, but does not contaminate the environment as chemical pesticides do. Mon, 19 Nov 2007 08:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071117211405.htm http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071114095702.htm Parasites can decimate amphibian populations, but one researcher believes they might also play a role in spurring the evolution of new and sometimes bizarre breeding strategies. Thu, 15 Nov 2007 14:00:00 EST http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2007/11/071114095702.htm