Fungus News

July 26, 2024

Top Headlines

July 23, 2024 — Scientists use a multimodal approach that combines hard X-ray computed tomography and X-ray fluorescence imaging to see the structure and chemical processes inside of a single ...

Genome Study Informs Restoration of American Chestnut Tree

July 22, 2024 — Researchers use genomes to help restore the American chestnut population and adjust species breeding to the changing ...

Small Animals Acquire Genes from Bacteria That Can Produce Antibiotics

July 18, 2024 — A group of small, freshwater animals (bdelloid rotifers) protect themselves from infections using antibiotic recipes 'stolen' from bacteria, according to new research. This raises the potential that rotifers are producing novel antimicrobials that ...

A Stealth Fungus Has Decimated North American Bats but Scientists May Be a Step Closer to Treating White-Nose Syndrome

July 11, 2024 — An invasive fungus that colonizes the skin of hibernating bats with deadly consequences is a stealthy invader that uses multiple strategies to slip into the small mammals' skin cells and quietly ...

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Cracking Open a Tasty Menu for Captive Marsupials to Sink Their Teeth Into

July 9, 2024 — From sifting through topsoil for native truffles to cracking open hard shells of seeds and nuts to munch on the tasty kernels, Australia bettongs and potoroos are described as 'ecosystem engineers' ...

Mapping the World's Fungi from Air Samples

July 11, 2024 — Researchers have found that the key to a quick and cost-effective mapping of biodiversity has been right in front of our eyes all along, but at the same time invisible -- i.e., in the air that ...

Retreating Glaciers: Fungi Enhance Carbon Storage in Young Arctic Soils

July 3, 2024 — Melting Arctic glaciers are in rapid recession, and microscopic pioneers colonize the new exposed landscapes. Researchers revealed that yeasts play an important role in soil formation in the ...

Shrinking Glaciers: Microscopic Fungi Enhance Soil Carbon Storage in New Landscapes Created by Shrinking Arctic Glaciers

July 1, 2024 — Shrinking glaciers expose new land in the Arctic, creating unique ecosystems. Researchers studied how microbes colonize these barren landscapes. The ...

Frog 'Saunas' a Lifeline for Endangered Frog Populations

June 26, 2024 — New biologist-designed shelters will help endangered frogs survive the devastating impacts of a deadly fungal disease by regulating their body temperature to fight off ...

Blessing in Disguise: Mycoviruses Enhance Fungicide Effectiveness Against Plant Pathogens

June 19, 2024 — Researchers discovered that mycoviruses, or oomycete viruses, can increase the sensitivity of plant pathogenic oomycete to fungicides like metalaxyl. ...

Bone Loss Drugs Can Help Azoles Fight Fungal Infections

June 5, 2024 — A new study suggests that adding common bone loss drugs to azoles can improve efficacy when treating fungal ...

Tropical Forests Adjust Strategies to Thrive Even When Soils Are Nutrient Poor

June 6, 2024 — Tropical forests store a third of the world's carbon in their wood and soils. However, their future as a carbon sink has been uncertain. Scientists ...

Experts Alert Doctors and the Public to the Arrival of Hard-to-Treat Fungal Skin Infections in the United States

June 5, 2024 — Healthcare providers should watch out for new and highly contagious forms of ringworm or jock itch, which are emerging as a potential public health ...

An Anti-Inflammatory Curbs Spread of Fungi Causing Serious Blood Infections

June 4, 2024 — Study finds that mesalamine, a common anti-inflammatory drug, can fight the fungus Candida albicans in the gut, potentially preventing the risk of invasive candidiasis in patients with blood ...

Mushroom Stump Waste Could Be Inexpensive, Healthy Chicken Feed Supplement

June 7, 2024 — Feed costs for producing broiler chickens accounts for 60% to 70% of total production costs, and stump waste from the production of button mushrooms comprises nearly 30% of total mushroom weight. ...

Fungus Breaks Down Ocean Plastic

June 3, 2024 — A fungus living in the sea can break down the plastic polyethylene, provided it has first been exposed to UV radiation from sunlight. Researchers expect that many more plastic degrading fungi are ...

The World's Most Powerful Anti-Fungal Chemistries Cause Fungal Pathogens to Self-Destruct

May 31, 2024 — Scientists have discovered that the most widely-used class of antifungals in the world cause pathogens to self-destruct. The research could help improve ways to protect food security and human ...

Orchids Support Seedlings Through 'Parental Nurture' Via Shared Underground Fungal Networks

May 29, 2024 — Orchid plants nurture their seedlings via an underground fungal network, new research has ...

Exploring Diversity in Cell Division

May 22, 2024 — Animals and fungi predominantly use two different modes of cell division -- called open and closed mitosis, respectively. A new study has shown that different species of Ichthyosporea -- marine ...

Researchers Find Unique Adaptations of Fungus Associated With Bee Bread

May 21, 2024 — The past attempts of honey bee researchers to inventory the fungal diversity in honey bee colonies revealed that Aspergillus flavus is frequently found in hives. In a new study, researchers have ...

Digging Up Good News for Microbial Studies

May 20, 2024 — Findings indicate that soil stored under refrigerated or air-dried conditions can still retain the needed information for understanding microbial community composition and structure for many ...

Surprising Evolutionary Pattern in Yeast Study

Apr. 26, 2024 — Research study reports intriguing findings made through innovative artificial intelligence analysis about yeasts -- small fungi that are key contributors to biotechnology, food production, and human ...

Genetic Hope in Fight Against Devastating Wheat Disease

Apr. 26, 2024 — Fungal disease Fusarium head blight (FHB) is on the rise due to increasingly humid conditions induced by climate change during the wheat growing season, but a fundamental discovery could help reduce ...

Discovery Could End Global Amphibian Pandemic

Apr. 3, 2024 — A fungus devastating frogs and toads on nearly every continent may have an Achilles heel. Scientists have discovered a virus that infects the fungus, and that could be engineered to save the ...

Researchers Discover Evolutionary 'Tipping Point' in Fungi

Mar. 25, 2024 — Scientists have found a 'tipping point' in the evolution of fungi that throttles their growth and sculpts their shapes. The findings demonstrate how small changes in environmental factors ...

Maize Genes Control Little Helpers in the Soil

Mar. 25, 2024 — Tiny organisms such as bacteria and fungi help to promote the health and function of plant roots. It is commonly assumed that the composition of these microbes is dependent on the properties of the ...

Experts Warn Climate Change Will Fuel Spread of Infectious Diseases

Mar. 20, 2024 — Infectious diseases specialists call the medical field to be ready to deal with the impact of climate change on spreading diseases, such as malaria, Valley fever, E. coli and Lyme ...

Rise in Global Fungal Drug-Resistant Infections

Mar. 18, 2024 — A global wave of infections caused by fungi growing drug-resistant has the medical community issuing precautions on how to protect ...

It's Hearty, It's Meaty, It's Mold

Mar. 14, 2024 — Scientists are exploring how tuning the genomes of mushrooms and molds can transform these food sources into gourmet, nutrient-packed meals made with minimal processing and a light environmental ...

Microbes Impact Coral Bleaching Susceptibility

Mar. 6, 2024 — A new study provides insights into the role of microbes and their interaction as drivers of interspecific differences in coral thermal ...

A New Plant's Name That Tells a Story

Mar. 1, 2024 — A new species and genus of fairy lantern, tiny glass-like white plants that feed on fungi, has been discovered in Japan. In the country renowned for its extensive flora research, the discovery of a ...

Scientists Assemble a Richer Picture of the Plight and Resilience of the Foothill Yellow-Legged Frog

Feb. 26, 2024 — Up to only a few inches in length, with a lemon-hued belly, the foothill yellow-legged frog may seem unassuming. But its range once stretched from central Oregon to Baja California. In 2023, it was ...

'The Future Is Fungal': New Research Finds That Fungi That Live in Healthy Plants Are Sensitive to Climate Change

Feb. 20, 2024 — Findings more than a decade in the making reveal a rich diversity of beneficial fungi living in boreal forest trees, with implications for the health of ...

Engineering a Coating for Disease-Free Produce

Feb. 20, 2024 — Texas A&M researchers combine food-grade wax with essential oils to defend produce from ...