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.....»»
Bacteria communicate like we do, and we can use this to help address antibiotic resistance
Like the neurons firing in human brains, bacteria use electricity to communicate and respond to environmental cues. Now, researchers have discovered a way to control this electrical signaling in bacteria, to better understand resistance to antibiotic.....»»
Can the zombie outbreak in The Last of Us actually happen? This microbiologist says it could
Digital Trends spoke to a microbiologist to find out if the fungi outbreak in The Last of Us video games and hit HBO show could actually happen in real life......»»
Gene cluster reshuffling drives natural sunscreen evolution in lichens
A new study reveals that the evolution of sunscreen pigments in lichen-forming fungi has been governed by the reshuffling of existing enzyme genes and novel accessory genes into new gene clusters......»»
Being a social broker at work leads to burnout and abuse, research finds
Employees who act as brokers (i.e., they sustain communications between coworkers who do not communicate directly) are more likely to burn out and become abusive towards their co-workers, according to new research from ESMT Berlin......»»
How species partnerships evolve to become specific or general, cooperative or antagonistic
Symbiotic relationships are everywhere in nature. In the soil, for example, mycorrhizal fungi enhance water and nutrient absorption for plants while feeding on sugars their roots release. In another classic mutualism, ants find food and shelter in sp.....»»
Warmer climate may drive fungi to be more dangerous to our health
The world is filled with tiny creatures that find us delicious. Bacteria and viruses are the obvious bad guys, drivers of deadly global pandemics and annoying infections. But the pathogens we haven't had to reckon with as much—yet—are the fungi......»»
TV zombie fungus highlights real world threat of fungal pathogens
Hit TV show "The Last of Us" follows on from an outbreak of a fictitious fungi, but Imperial experts are among those battling very real fungal diseases......»»
Chatterboxes: Researchers develop new model that shows how bacteria communicate
When bacteria interact, they give off cellular signals that can trigger a response in their neighbors, causing them to behave in different ways or produce different substances. For example, they can communicate to coordinate movement away from danger.....»»
Soil organisms are essential for the maintenance of city parks and gardens, study shows
City parks and gardens support a rich and diverse community of soil organisms including bacteria, fungi, protists and invertebrates, which often go unnoticed compared with eye-catching plants and animals......»»
It’s Not Sci-Fi—NASA Is Funding These Mind-Blowing Projects
The space agency gave money to researchers working on liquid telescope mirrors, a lunar oxygen pipeline, and Martian building blocks made of fungi......»»
Researchers evaluate mass spectrometry approaches for mold identification
In recent years, filamentous fungi or molds have emerged as causative agents underlying life-threatening infections in immunocompromised individuals. The timely management of these infections requires the rapid and accurate diagnosis of mold in clini.....»»
Spotted hyenas all sound different when they call—they can tell friend from foe
On quiet nights across large swaths of the African bush, you may hear a series of whooping calls in the distance. This unique sound is the long-distance vocalization used by spotted hyenas (Crocuta crocuta) to communicate with each other......»»
Enzymes from bacteria and fungi break down plastic
Every year, the world produces 380 million tons of plastic. A lot of it ends up in nature and stays there for a long time. It can take 450 years to break down a plastic bottle......»»
PagerDuty Status Pages provide proactive customer communication during incidents
Status Pages allow PagerDuty customers to proactively communicate status updates with their customers while keeping both internal technical teams and customer service teams informed, as well. Intuitive, easy to use, and able to be set up in minutes,.....»»
Speciesism, like racism, imperils humanity and the planet
With the world's population topping 8 billion last year, it's clear that humans have achieved a unique status in Earth's history. We are the only creature that dominate all other organisms on the planet, from animals and fungi to plants and microbes......»»
Physicists find that organelles grow in random bursts
Eukaryotic cells—the ones that make up most life as we know it, including all animals, plants and fungi—are highly structured objects......»»
High-efficiency gene-editing tool used on fungi significantly improves pace of new drug discovery
As anyone who has ever attended a cocktail party can tell you, shedding inhibitions makes you more talkative and possibly more prone to divulging secrets. Fungi, it turns out, are no different from humans in this respect......»»
A glimpse of cells" sense of touch as they build tissues during embryogenesis
Building tissues and organs is one of the most complex and essential tasks that cells must accomplish during embryogenesis. In this collective task, cells communicate through a variety of communication methods, including biochemical signals—simila.....»»
Two Startups Are Bringing Fiber to the Processor
If a CPU in Seoul sends a byte of data to a processor in Prague, the information covers most of the distance as light, zipping along with no resistance. But put both those processors on the same motherboard, and they’ll need to communicate over e.....»»
Scientists describe 146 new species in 2022
During 2022, researchers at the California Academy of Sciences have added 146 new animal, plant, and fungi species to the tree of life, enriching our understanding of Earth's biodiversity and strengthening our ability to regenerate the natural world......»»