New fungi the dark matter of mushrooms

Elusive microbes finally come to light

Images of little dots, some wriggling a skinny tail, give scientists a first glimpse of a vast swath of the oldest, and perhaps oddest, fungal group alive today.

SWIMMING FUNGI Two fungal cells, possibly from an ancient lineage, each show a curvy, taillike flagellum (red) during a mobile stage in their life cycle.