All articles tagged with #fungi
NASA-linked research shows near-unkillable fungal strains can endure even the agency’s strict sterilization procedures, raising concerns that Earth microbes could already hitchhike on future Mars missions or seed life on other worlds like Enceladus or Titan, and prompting a reevaluation of planetary-protection protocols for upcoming rovers and probes.
A Science Advances study shows Mortierellaceae fungi carry a bacterial ice-nucleating protein nearly identical to InaZ; when the fungal gene was inserted into yeast it conferred ice-forming ability, suggesting fungi acquired the trait via horizontal gene transfer. The protein is secreted and may help lichens pull water from the air, potentially enabling frost to form and later melt to replenish water, and it could mean fungi play a larger role in the weather cycle than bacteria. Scientists also note these fungal proteins could be explored for non-toxic cloud-seeding alternatives if produced safely.
A NASA-backed study shows spores of Aspergillus calidoustus can survive simulated space travel and Martian conditions, highlighting microbial resilience that informs planetary protection and microbial risk assessments for future Mars missions—though it does not imply Mars contamination is likely.
A Science Advances study shows soil-dwelling Mortierellaceae fungi secrete water-soluble ice-nucleating proteins that act as cloud seeds, triggering ice formation and rain even at relatively warm temperatures. This bio-precipitation loop links forest soils to atmospheric rainfall, complements bacterial ice-nucleating proteins, and arose via horizontal gene transfer from bacteria. The finding highlights the climate relevance of soil microbes and suggests natural, biodegradable options for cloud seeding while underscoring the rainfall impact of forest conservation.
Scientists studying the black fungus Cladosporium sphaerospermum in the Chernobyl Exclusion Zone report it grows better in ionizing radiation, possibly via a radiosynthesis-like process in which melanin could harvest energy while shielding the fungus from damage; though earlier work suggested a photosynthesis‑like pathway and a 2022 ISS experiment showed radiation shielding, a concrete energy-harvesting mechanism remains unproven, leaving the exact purpose of radiation tolerance uncertain and highlighting life’s adaptations in extreme environments.
An international team found common soil fungi secrete stable, water-soluble proteins that can nucleate ice at around -2°C, acting as cell-free ice makers. This could provide a natural, non-toxic alternative for cloud seeding, enable improved frozen-food and medical preservation, and help climate models by better accounting for ice formation in clouds.
Researchers identify a fungal protein from the Mortierellaceae family that triggers ice formation at about -2°C, offering a non-toxic alternative to silver iodide for cloud seeding and potential bioinspired freezing technologies, with evolutionary ties to bacterial ice nucleators.
Researchers studying Cladosporium sphaerospermum—an often-black fungus—found it not only tolerates radiation but may grow toward it and form biomass that, in tests aboard the ISS, accumulated faster (about 21% more quickly than Earth controls) under space conditions. Melanin-rich fungi could help absorb radiation, suggesting a potential “living shield” concept for future spacecraft, possibly combined with local materials in ISRU. The work, conducted in a CubeLab on the ISS, is a proof-of-principle with limitations (small payload, controlled Petri dish setup) and does not demonstrate radiosynthesis; further experiments are needed to assess reliability across conditions and particle types.
A new study using climate models warns that Aspergillus fungi, including A. fumigatus, could expand their geographic range as temperatures rise, increasing risk of invasive infections in people and mycotoxin-related crop losses. The spread is amplified by azole resistance driven by overlapping use of antifungicides in agriculture and medicine. Experts call for coordinated monitoring, better diagnostics, and stronger climate action to limit spread and mitigate health and agricultural impacts.
A new study re-examines Prototaxites taiti, a 26-foot Devonian fossil, and finds it does not match any known fungus, plant, or animal, instead representing a previously undescribed extinct group of eukaryotes, making it one of evolution’s most enigmatic life forms.
Researchers from the Max Planck Institute showed that certain Beauveria bassiana strains can infect and kill bark beetles by detoxifying spruce tree defense chemicals (stilbenes and flavonoids). The fungus converts these compounds into less protective forms through two phases, first removing sugar to form aglycones and then methylating them to methylglucosides, which avoids the plant defenses and enables infection. Gene knockouts of the detoxification pathways reduce virulence, indicating these defenses are bypassable. Other fungi, like Cordyceps militaris, may use similar tricks, suggesting a future in biocontrol where fungi replace some chemical insecticides.
Three sightings of the rare blue fungus Terana caerulea, or Cobalt Crust, have been recorded on the Isle of Man this year—the first since 1976—found on dead wood in Onchan with reports from Andreas and Baldrine; experts say more people searching for fungi and favorable weather are driving the sightings, and while the fungus helps recycle nutrients and has historical medicinal use, its exact means of transport to the island remains a mystery.
Truffles, underground fruiting bodies of fungi, cannot release spores into the air. Instead they rely on animals eating them and transporting the spores through digestion, depositing them elsewhere and enabling the fungi to spread across ecosystems.
New analyses of Prototaxites fossils suggest the giant Silurian–Devonian structures belong to an entirely extinct branch of eukaryotes, not fungi, plants, algae, or animals, making Prototaxites a fossil anomaly resistant to placement on the tree of life.
Fungi were the first complex life forms on Earth, evolving before plants and animals, initially thriving in aquatic environments and later adapting to land, forming symbiotic relationships and networks that set the stage for the emergence of plants and animals.