Search Results for: Fungi

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1,351 results
  1. fungi growing on wood
    Life

    Chemical signals from fungi tell bark beetles which trees to infest

    As fungi break down defensive chemicals in trees, some byproducts act as signals to bark beetle pests, telling them which trees are most vulnerable.

    By Freda Kreier
  2. A still image from the television show The Last of Us showing a human body that has been completely covered by an orange fungus attached to a gray wall.
    Life

    Fungi don’t turn humans into zombies. But The Last of Us gets some science right

    Fungi like those in the post-apocalyptic TV show are real. But humans’ body temperature and brain chemistry may protect us from zombifying fungi.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  3. An illustration of the spores of a soil fungi called Histoplasma.
    Health & Medicine

    Fungi that cause serious lung infections are now found throughout the U.S.

    Doctors should be on the lookout for three types of fungi that, when inhaled, can lead to serious infections, researchers say.

    By Tina Hesman Saey
  4. medical illustration of a human body with lungs and a zoom in view that shows Blastomyces fungal spores in the lungs
    Health & Medicine

    4 key things to know about lung infections caused by fungi

    News that three kinds of fungi are more widespread than previously thought prompted reader questions about risk, symptoms and more. We answer them.

    By Tina Hesman Saey

  5. Readers ask about fungal lung infections

    By Science News Staff
  6. Color-enhanced scanning electron micrograph of the fungus Aspergillus nidulans shows fungal growths that look like broccoli clusters
    Microbes

    How fungi make potent toxins that can contaminate food

    Genetically engineering Aspergillus fungi to delete certain proteins stops the production of mycotoxins that can be dangerous to human health.

    By Deborah Balthazar
  7. Photo of blue cheese
    Microbes

    Meet the fungal friends and foes that surround us

    Keith Seifert’s book The Hidden Kingdom of Fungi explores how microfungi shape our world.

    By Allie Wilkinson
  8. A close-up of a 'zombie' fungus erupting from the body of a fly. The fungus has long, thin stalks ending in puffy 'heads'.
    Life

    An award-winning photo captures a ‘zombie’ fungus erupting from a fly

    The winner of the 2022 BMC Ecology and Evolution photo competition captures a macabre cycle of life and death in the Peruvian Amazon.

    By Richard Kemeny

  9. Readers ask about rogue black holes, zippy neutrinos and more

    By Science News Staff
  10. image of hands holding a pile of soil
    Life

    Fungi may be crucial to storing carbon in soil as the Earth warms

    Fungi help soil-making bacteria churn out carbon compounds that are resilient to heat, keeping those compounds in the ground, a study suggests.

    By Freda Kreier
  11. An illustration of an exoplanet passing in front of a star.
    Planetary Science

    Methylated gases could be an unambiguous indicator of alien life

    On Earth, methylated gases are produced by organisms cleaning up their environment — and by little else. The same might be true on some exoplanets.

    By James R. Riordon
  12. photo of someone pulling a pint of beer
    Microbes

    The ancestor to modern brewing yeast has been found hiding in Ireland

    Previously found in Patagonia and elsewhere, the brewing yeast Saccharomyces eubayanus has been found in Europe for the first time.

    By Darren Incorvaia