Central America battles to save coffee from fungus

Central America is scrambling to contain a coffee-eating fungus that has invaded a third of the impoverished region's crops, threatening to cost the vital industry hundreds of millions of dollars.

The zombie-ant fungus is under attack, research reveals

A parasite that fights the zombie-ant fungus has yielded some of its secrets to an international research team led by David Hughes of Penn State University. The research reveals, for the first time, how an entire ant colony ...

Genetically modified fungus could fight malaria

In a cramped London laboratory filled with test tubes, bacteria and mosquitoes, scientists are trying to engineer a new weapon in the battle against malaria: a mutant fungus.

How a fungus sidesteps a plant's defense mechanism

RIKEN scientists have discovered how a parasitic fungus renders harmless a powerful anti-fungal compound produced by some plants. As well as providing a fascinating glimpse into the ongoing arms race between plants and parasites, ...

Fungus that eats fungus could help coffee farmers

Coffee rust is a parasitic fungus and a big problem for coffee growers around the world. A study in the birthplace of coffee—Ethiopia—shows that another fungus seems to have the capacity to supress the rust outbreaks ...

Overharvesting threatens 'Himalayan Viagra' fungus: IUCN

A parasitic fungus that grows inside the ghost moth caterpillar and then kills its host by bursting through its head is itself threatened with extinction, the IUCN said Thursday, as demand surges for Chinese medicine's "Himalayan ...

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