fungi

A Toxic Fungus Could Be Contributing to Some People’s Irritable Bowel Disease

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Some strains of yeast in the human gut can produce toxins that could contribute to irritable bowel disease (IBD), according to new research. These “high-damaging” Candida albicans yeast strains aren’t usually a problem when they are kept in balance, but in the guts of those with IBD, the fungi appear to proliferate, triggering inflammation.   The … Read more

Plants may have first been able to grow on land due to bacterial genes

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When aquatic plants first transitioned onto land, their success may have been due to genes they got from bacteria and fungi that let them take up nutrients from soil Life 1 March 2022 By Jake Buehler Plants may have taken root on land thanks to genes from bacteria Shutterstock/daniilphotos Around 500 million years ago, aquatic … Read more

Slugs help mushrooms start new colonies by spreading spores through their faeces

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Mantleslugs carry spores of dozens of fungal species in their faeces, and some of them even begin to germinate within the moist digestive tracts Life 24 February 2022 By Jake Buehler Mantleslugs feeding on oyster mushrooms Nobuko Tuno Some mushroom-eating slugs may be important – if slow – dispersal vehicles for fungal spores, which the … Read more

Lichens are in peril because they adapt so slowly to climate change

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Lichens are important for stabilising soils and providing some animals with food, but the algae within them are adapting to climate change at a rate of just 1°C every million years Life 15 February 2022 By Jake Buehler Lichen (Folmannia orthoclada) on rock in Atacama Desert. This lichen contains Trebouxia algae Matthew Nelsen One of … Read more

Genetics: Fungi that live on eucalyptus roots can control trees’ gene activity

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Eucalyptus trees rely on root fungi to source nutrients and water – but the fungi actually control the genetic development of the tree roots by releasing tiny chunks of RNA Life 10 January 2022 By Michael Le Page Pisolithus microcarpus mycorrhizal root tips on Eucalyptus grandis Jonathan Plett A root fungus that helps eucalyptus trees … Read more

The eerie bioluminescence of the ghost fungus in all its glory

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By Gege Li Juergen Freund/naturepl.com Photographer Jürgen Freund AgencyNaturepl.com THIS haunting shot of a bioluminescent fungus may seem otherworldly, but you can witness the astonishing sight in forests here on Earth. The photo was taken in the Atherton Tableland plateau in Queensland, Australia, by nature photographer Jürgen Freund. This species is probably Omphalotus nidiformis, otherwise … Read more