Since their discovery 40 years ago, antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) have been shown to have a key role in the innate defence against microbial infection in animals, plants and fungi. With the ...

From helping plants to colonize terrestrial earth to treating disease in humans, is there anything fungi can’t do? Chris Dart Neither plants nor animals, fungi are the most underappreciated ...

The planetary emergency is a complex crisis that requires innovative solutions. We can find some of these solutions in nature. From helping us grow our food to tackling our plastic waste problem, ...

SEM stands for scanning electron microscope. The SEM is a microscope that uses electrons instead of light to form an image. Since their development in the early 1950's, scanning electron microscopes ...

But insects beat us to it by millions of years. Various ant species cooperate with fungi, creating a home for them, providing them with nutrients, and harvesting them as food. This reaches the ...

Climate change has the potential to make fungi even more hazardous to our health, according to research at Duke University. Asiya Gusa's climate change research focuses on how warming temperatures ...

According to the first big assessment of the state of the world's fungi, the fungal kingdom is vital to life on Earth. Yet, more than 90% of the estimated 3.8 million fungi in the world are ...

The word "fungus" may inspire visions of an unwanted growth under your nail or maybe even of a pizza topping before thoughts of a thriving ecosystem. But fungi are a remarkably diverse group of ...

Researchers have now used DNA analysis to uncover just how long ants have been farming fungi, now described in a study published Thursday in the journal Science. It turns out these insects have be ...

So far, entomologists have recognized about 250 different ant species in the Americas and Caribbean that farm fungi. In its most basic form, ants collect and spread fungi, defending their food ...

Richard Fortey explores the strange and surprising science of fungi, unlocking the story of their evolution, their mysterious life cycle and their value to both the planet and us. Show more ...