A killer fungus could help the US South fight back against insatiable ants
A newly discovered fungus destroys fat cells in crazy ants, and the parasite could be used to control ant populations.
Tag: fungi
Hidden fungal networks cover the world—and soon they’ll be mapped
In a first, the nonprofit SPUN will map global fungal networks, which support ecosystems and make for excellent carbon sinks.
Get this: Fungus can make trash smell like strawberries
A fungus named Wolfiporia cocos fermented waste from black currant berries, producing an aroma that could be a food additive.
You’ve heard of truffle pigs. Now get ready for truffle birds.
Truffles aren’t just for humans (and pigs) anymore. At least two species of bird in Patagonia root around in the dirt for the precious fungi.
An urban cemetery is a surprising sanctuary for fantastic fungi
Amateur mushroom hunters and scientists come together in Green-Wood Cemetery as part of a global movement to understand the hidden biodiversity in sacred urban spaces.
Seed banks are full of hidden fungi, and scientists love it
The stores offer knowledge beyond agriculture and plants. UK scientists just found dozens of new species of fungi, including in wild bananas.
Some of Earth’s tiniest living things could survive on Mars
A team of microbiologists and other scientists shot some microbes into the stratosphere to see if they could survive under Mars-like conditions.
The two types of fungi you want in your fire-starting kit
If you have birch or black locust trees growing near you, you probably also have some highly flammable species of fungi. Here’s how to use them as tinder.
Learn your sourdough starter’s funky secrets
“Like many Americans, I grew up on white bread and never sourdough. But the starter-based bread is ancient.”
North American bats tend to roost among the fungus that kills them
For more than a decade, bats in North America have faced a devastating crisis as white-nose syndrome has swept across the eastern United States and Canada. The fungal disease has felled millions of these tiny mammals since its first documented appearance in New York in 2006. Scientists believe the fungal culprit, known as Pseudogymnoascus destructans, was accidentally introduced from Europe—yet it has mysteriously spared bat populations in Europe and Asia.