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.
Aspergillus is a fungus that is commonly found in the environment, both indoors and outdoors. This fungus species can cause aspergillosis—a respiratory infection affecting the lungs. A. fumigatus, A. nidulans, and A. niger ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 17, 2025
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Golden oyster mushrooms, with their sunny yellow caps and nutty flavor, have become wildly popular for being healthy, delicious and easy to grow at home from mushroom kits.
Ecology
Jul 16, 2025
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A popular species of edible mushroom, golden oyster, has spread rapidly throughout the United States since escaping from cultivation into the wild. Now, a new study from researchers at the University of Wisconsin–Madison ...
Ecology
Jul 16, 2025
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Fungicides are plant protection products that kill fungi or their spores. In agriculture, these products are used to combat fungal diseases and ensure crop yields. The disadvantage: if used excessively, resistant pathogens ...
Molecular & Computational biology
Jul 16, 2025
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21
A groundbreaking study from Michigan State University (MSU), published in Nature Communications, reveals how the multidrug-resistant superfungus Candida auris uniquely reconstructs its cell wall to survive antifungal treatments. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 16, 2025
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The cordyceps species in "The Last of Us," Ophiocordyceps unilateralis, is real and does exactly what the show purports —just not in humans, according to medical experts.
Plants & Animals
Jul 11, 2025
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109
Fungi are increasingly resistant to antifungals, and the variation in resistance has significantly increased. This is evident from the analysis of more than 12,000 lung samples collected over 30 years in Dutch hospitals. ...
Cell & Microbiology
Jul 9, 2025
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106
If you walk through a forest and look down, you might think you're stepping on dead leaves, twigs and soil. In reality, you're walking over a vast underground patchwork of fungal filaments, supporting life above ground.
Plants & Animals
Jul 5, 2025
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170
When Entomophaga grylli infects locusts or grasshoppers, they climb to the tops of plants before their death. The zombie-ant fungus Ophiocordyceps unilateralis infects ants and controls their behaviors to benefit fungal transmission. ...
Ecology
Jul 1, 2025
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30
Chinese Academy of Sciences researchers report that fossilized entomopathogenic fungi from mid-Cretaceous amber reveal some of the oldest direct evidence of parasitic relationships between fungi and insects, suggesting that ...
