Unearthing how a carnivorous fungus traps and digests worms
A new analysis sheds light on the molecular processes involved when a carnivorous species of fungus known as Arthrobotrys oligospora senses, traps and consumes a worm. Hung-Che Lin of Academia Sinica in Taipei, Taiwan, and colleagues present these fi.....»»
Sugar traps force cockroaches to adapt new sex "gifts"
Humans using sugar in cockroach traps has inadvertently led to female roaches being turned off by the sugary "gifts" males use to entice them into mating......»»
Three newly discovered sea worms that glow in the dark named after creatures from Japanese folklore and marine biologist
A research group from Nagoya University in central Japan has discovered three new species of bioluminescent polycirrus worms from different parts of Japan. Usually found in shallow water, polycirrus are small worms, known for their bioluminescence. T.....»»
Surprise effect: Methane cools even as it heats
Most climate models do not yet account for a new UC Riverside discovery: methane traps a great deal of heat in Earth's atmosphere, but also creates cooling clouds that offset 30% of the heat......»»
Their time to slime: who will be "Mollusc of the Year"?
Will you choose beauty? The carnivorous Wavy Bubble Snail, perhaps, with its billowing skirts shimmering under UV light. Or will it be age? Like the venerable 500-year-old Methuselah oyster......»»
Rapid surge in highly contagious killer fungus poses new threat to amphibians across Africa
Mass fungus infections that drive populations worldwide to near-collapse don't just occur in science fiction. Chytridiomycosis, the worst vertebrate disease in recorded history, has already wiped out hundreds of species of amphibians around the world.....»»
Pancakes won"t turn you into a zombie as in HBO"s "The Last of Us," but fungi in flour can make people sick
In the HBO series "The Last of Us," named after the popular video game of the same name, the flour supplies of the world are contaminated with a fungus called Cordyceps. When people eat pancakes or other foods made with that flour, the fungi grow ins.....»»
Plant and animal species that adapt quickly to city life are more likely to survive, finds research
It's five o'clock on a summer morning in Winnipeg. Our research team is unloading a series of small traps from the trunk of our car, which is parked on a residential road. Using a stick, we slather peanut butter from a huge jar into each trap as bait.....»»
Drug from cancer chemotherapy helps fight deadly fungal infections
There are up to 10,000 fungal spores in every cubic meter of air that can enter our bodies when we breathe them in. Some of these belong to the species Aspergillus fumigatus, a widespread fungus found everywhere in the environment......»»
The fungus zombies in "The Last of Us" are fictional, but real fungi are becoming more resistant
Many of the people watching "The Last of Us" are likely there for the zombies......»»
Fungal enzymes developed with microfluidics may be new organic tool in fight against crop-killers
Fungus is getting a pretty bad rap in pop culture right now thanks to HBO's hit zombie TV show "The Last of Us," in which a fungal mutation spread through the global food supply leads to the collapse of civilization. But its critical role in the heal.....»»
Conifer-killing beetles use smell of beneficial fungus to select host trees
Eurasian spruce bark beetles (Ips typographus) burrow into the bark of Norway spruce (Picea abies) trees where they mate and lay their eggs. Major outbreaks in Europe have decimated millions of hectares of conifer forests. The beetles preferentially.....»»
Reproductive strategy of deep-sea worms provides clues to evolutionary mystery
Deep on the ocean floor, strange worm-like creatures can be found, the evolution of which has long perplexed scientists. Now, in a recently published study, researchers from Japan have observed an interesting mode of reproduction, which could shed li.....»»
What an international team charting the threat of killer fungi found
Fungal infections have received a frenzy of attention thanks to the popularity of HBO's "The Last of Us." The show depicts a fungal pandemic caused by the real-life zombie-ant fungus, Ophiocordyceps unilateralis. It imagines the outcome of society's.....»»
Newly discovered fungus castrates male spruce flowers
A rare discovery during a midday walk: On a spruce tree, an employee of the Swiss Federal Institute for Forest, Snow and Landscape Research WSL discovered not only a new species of fungus, but also a genus previously unknown to science. The parasite.....»»
Discovery could lead to new fungicides to protect rice crops
A fungus that plagues rice crops worldwide gains entry to plant cells in a way that leaves it vulnerable to simple chemical blockers, a discovery that could lead to new fungicides to reduce the substantial annual losses of rice and other valuable cer.....»»
Space dust as Earth"s sun shield
On a cold winter day, the warmth of the sun is welcome. Yet as humanity emits more and more greenhouse gases, the Earth's atmosphere traps more and more of the sun's energy and steadily increases the Earth's temperature. One strategy for reversing th.....»»
Analyzing the relationship between olive roots and Verticillium wilt
A new method developed at the University of Córdoba has tested how substances secreted by the roots of olive trees impact infection by the Verticillium dahliae fungus, and studied its effects on different varieties of olive trees.....»»
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......»»
Unearthing the sources of cave-forming sulfuric acid
A study published in the journal Geology uses isotopes of sulfur to fingerprint the sources of sulfuric acid that have carved unique and beautiful cave systems in the Pyrenees mountains of southern France......»»
Unearthing the archaeological passing of time at Lagash, a site in southern Iraq
When Holly Pittman and colleagues from the University of Pennsylvania and University of Pisa returned to Lagash in the fall of 2022 for a fourth season, they knew they'd find more than ceramic fragments and another kiln. With high-tech tools in hand,.....»»