Deciphering the mysteries of enigmatic fungi
Few things alive on Earth occupy as little of our brain space as fungi. The vast majority of these organisms—neither plant nor animal—are invisibly small or perpetually hidden underneath our feet. Only when mushrooms breach the soil can we even s.....»»
Geodynamic mantle-flow model explains deformation of continental crust block in North China
Cratons are fascinating yet enigmatic geological formations. Known to be relatively stable portions of the Earth's continental crust, cratons have remained largely unchanged for billions of years. Although cratons have survived many geological events.....»»
Fungi may not think, but they can communicate
Fungi form distinct networks depending on how food sources are arranged. Fungi can be enigmatic organisms. Mushrooms or other structures may be visible above the soil, but beneath.....»»
Black hole study challenges Kerr solution assumptions
Black holes continue to captivate scientists: they are purely gravitational objects, remarkably simple, yet capable of hiding mysteries that challenge our understanding of natural laws. Most observations thus far have focused on their external charac.....»»
Haunting whispers from the Martian landscape make for a spooky "soliday"
The Perseverance rover lurks in the quiet, cold, desolate landscape of Jezero crater on Mars, a place masked in shadows and haunted by past mysteries. Built to endure the planet's harsh conditions, Perseverance braves the thin atmosphere and extreme.....»»
Legendary Cars That Mysteriously Disappeared: The Unsolved Mysteries of Automotive History
Legendary Cars That Mysteriously Disappeared: The Unsolved Mysteries of Automotive History.....»»
Researchers" unique 3D maps might help solve the mysteries of octopus arms
Octopuses are fascinating. Their eight arms gracefully whip through water and can accomplish extraordinary tasks like using tools and opening jars. While humans have one spinal cord attached to their brain, in octopuses, it's almost like each arm has.....»»
Discovery of new bacterial toxins could be key to fighting infections
Researchers have discovered a new group of bacterial toxins that can kill harmful bacteria and fungi, opening the door to potential new treatments for infections. These toxins, found in over 100,000 microbial genomes, can destroy the cells of bacteri.....»»
Integrated space-ground technologies empower archaeological research into ancient tombs
A team of international researchers has employed an integrated approach to uncover the mysteries of the Eastern Mausoleum of Qin State, an ancient royal burial site from China's Warring States period......»»
Deciphering the language of cells: How they sense and respond to mechanical forces
Cells, the fundamental building blocks of life, are constantly subjected to a variety of mechanical forces within our bodies. These forces, which can arise from both internal and external sources, play crucial roles in regulating cellular processes s.....»»
Fungi finding: mushroom hunters seek new species and recognition
You can't walk very far through a forest in this part of the United States without stumbling upon a mushroom, an eruption from a vast fungal kingdom that all life depends on, but about which we know very little......»»
Unlocking the genetic mysteries of modern roses: Research provides insights into origin and breeding
Roses are one of the world's most beloved and widely cultivated ornamental plants, captivating hearts and adorning gardens for centuries. Despite their popularity, the genetic origins and breeding history of modern roses have remained mostly unknown......»»
Why autumn 2024 is your best chance to see lots of weird and wonderful fungi
The UK and north-western Europe have had a particularly wet 2024. Extreme weather patterns caused by climate change are nothing to celebrate, but there is one group of organisms that will have appreciated all the rain......»»
Archive tells of cracking ancient Greek language
A retired Classics professor from Texas has donated a collection of papers to the University of Cincinnati detailing the deciphering of an ancient Greek language that baffled generations of scholars......»»
Asteroid that wiped out the dinosaurs may have led to the invention of "ant agriculture"
The event that wiped out the dinosaurs wasn't all bad. The low-light environment caused by the meteor impact some 66 million years ago favored the spread of fungi that feed on organic matter, which was abundant at the time as plants and animals were.....»»
Ants learned to farm fungi during a mass extinction
Ants learned to work with fungi back in a world where only fungi could thrive. We tend to think of agriculture as a human innovation. But insects beat us to it by millions of year.....»»
Celebrating the fungus among us: How fungi support, restore ecosystems
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......»»
Mercury"s magnetic landscape mapped in 30 minutes
As BepiColombo sped past Mercury during its June 2023 flyby, it encountered a variety of features in the tiny planet's magnetic field. These measurements provide a tantalizing taste of the mysteries that the mission is set to investigate when it arri.....»»
Scientists inject bacteria into fungi to study endosymbiosis
Endosymbiosis is a fascinating biological phenomenon in which an organism lives inside another. Such an unusual relationship is often beneficial for both parties. Even in our bodies, we find remnants of such cohabitation: mitochondria evolved from an.....»»
Are plants and fungi trading carbon for nutrients? Not likely, say researchers
Every year, plants move 3.58 gigatons of carbon to mycorrhizal fungi, their underground partners—enough, in fact, that if it were ice, it would cover 112 million NHL hockey rinks. However, a dominant scientific theory explaining that huge transfer.....»»
Pitting good versus bad fungi on sweet corn: A delicate dance
The same defenses that help some varieties of sweet corn resist fungal diseases can also stymie the potency of a beneficial fungus used to kill hungry caterpillar pests, studies by Agricultural Research Service (ARS) scientists suggest. The researche.....»»