Nature, Published online: 11 December 2024; doi:10.1038/d41586-024-03651-4 It has been hard to find fungi that normally reside in the mouse gut. The identification of one such fungus deepens our understanding of how resident fungi drive immune responses in their natural hosts.
An armored mist frog warms itself on a wet rock. Once thought extinct, this species was rediscovered in locales where it has access to the sun’s warmth, which can help frogs fight the often-deadly fungal infections. Conrad Hoskin More than three decades ago, amphibian researchers from around the globe converged on Canterbury, England, for the […]
The white substance on this fly is a fungus called Entomophthora muscae. Filippo Castellucci A fly is going about its day, buzzing here, buzzing there—but then, it starts behaving weirdly. Its movements become sluggish; its abdomen swells. Its body sprouts white fuzz. Around sunset, there’s a sudden a burst of movement as the fly climbs—or […]
Bleeding tooth fungus looks like a ghoulish forest crime scene. This type of mushroom called Hydnellum peckii also goes by “devil’s tooth fungus” or the much more pleasant sounding “strawberries and cream.” Its signature gooey red liquid is a sap-like substance that oozes out during a process called guttation when the fungi releases excess moisture […]
Credit: Pixabay/CC0 Public Domain I have never really been interested in ghosts, mummies or zombies, not even at Halloween. But as October 31 approaches each year, I am reminded of a biological tale involving all three. It’s the real-life horror story of a flesh-eating, brain-warping fungus from the genus Cordyceps, which inspired the zombie-apocalypse video […]
Nicole Hynson normally gets roped in to help when all else fails. The conservation biologist from the University of Hawaii is involved in bringing back all kinds of critically endangered plants from the brink of extinction. Unfortunately, she’s kept busy in her home state, Hawaii, which is also known as the extinction capital of the […]
