Fungi are a major eukaryotic lineage studied across biological topics for their distinct cellular organization, ecological roles, and interactions with other organisms. They possess chitinous cell walls, typically form filamentous hyphae organized into mycelia, and reproduce via diverse sexual and asexual spores. Fungi function as principal decomposers of organic matter, key symbionts in mycorrhizal and lichen associations, and potent pathogens of plants, animals, and humans. Their metabolic versatility underpins numerous biotechnological and research applications, including model systems for genetics and cell biology, production of enzymes and secondary metabolites, and regulation of nutrient cycling in ecosystems.
Decaying matter shapes life in soil, but it can also create hostile zones for growing roots. Professor Jiří Friml of the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) and international collaborators have now identified ...
Ecology
17 hours ago
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VUB researcher Maarten Ottaway investigated how trees and their invisible underground allies—the fungi—respond to soil pollution. His Ph.D. sheds new light on an age-old partnership that is crucial for healthy forests, and ...
Ecology
Jul 7, 2026
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Beneath forests, grasslands and wetlands lies a hidden underground network of fungi known as mycorrhizal networks, sometimes nicknamed the "wood-wide web." These fungi live in partnership with plant roots, helping plants ...
Plants & Animals
Jul 6, 2026
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10
A few years ago, Austin Wrenn noticed something unsettling in his strawberry greenhouses at Wrenn's Farm in Zebulon, North Carolina. He was one of the first growers in the state to experience losses from an unexpected, aggressive ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 3, 2026
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21
Researchers have spent decades—and billions of dollars—sequencing animal and crop genomes, but fungi have historically been the forgotten middle child of genomics, only noticed when they're ruining bread or colonizing toes.
Biotechnology
Jul 3, 2026
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120
Many fungi lead triple lives—acting as deadly insect pathogens, decomposers in the soil, and helpful partners living inside and transferring insect-derived nitrogen to plant roots. Scientists have long wondered what allows ...
Ecology
Jul 2, 2026
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42
As one of the world's most revered gourmet foods, some truffles can sell for more than €1,000 per kilogram, making cultivation a lucrative business. However, the industry remains unpredictable, with some trees capable of ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 30, 2026
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9
Scientists have discovered that two common human pathogens can work together by managing copper in their shared environment—a finding that could open new ways to break down stubborn mixed biofilms.
Cell & Microbiology
Jun 26, 2026
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204
Fungi are key constituents of the soil microbial community, playing a major role in moving carbon and energy through the soil food web. A recent analysis carried out by Professor Matthias C. Rillig from Freie Universität ...
Ecology
Jun 19, 2026
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32
Malaysian scientists have discovered a new species of parasitic fungus in Borneo's jungles that preys on "zombie fungi" known to infect insects before subjecting them to a gruesome death.
Ecology
Jun 19, 2026
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