Mycology is the branch of biology focused on the study of fungi, encompassing various forms such as yeasts, molds, and mushrooms. This scientific discipline investigates the genetic, biochemical, and ecological characteristics of fungi, as well as their interactions with other organisms and environments. Fungi play crucial roles in nutrient cycling, as decomposers breaking down organic materials to release carbon, nitrogen, and other essential elements. They also form symbiotic relationships with plants (mycorrhizae), significantly enhancing plant nutrition and growth, and they have vital interactions in food webs as pathogens, mutualists, and competitors. Mycology has practical applications in many areas, including medicine, where fungi are studied for their role in causing diseases and for their potential in producing antibiotics and other pharmaceuticals. Additionally, fungi are exploited in biotechnology for the production of enzymes, vitamins, and biofuels. The field has expanded to explore the potential of fungi in environmental remediation and sustainable technologies.
Research shows small environmental changes can significantly influence the structures of cells and organisms. Scientists have found a “tipping point” in the evolution of fungi…
A study in the forest on Laccaria bicolor mushrooms, a type of ectomycorrhizal fungi, has revealed that these mushrooms generate fluctuating electrical signals after rainfall,…
Complex microbial communities inhabit plants and modulate their development. Roots especially, host a wide diversity of micro-organisms – including bacteria and fungi – that directly…
Oregon State University research has identified the oldest known specimen of a fungus parasitizing an ant, and the fossil also represents a new fungal genus…
The new system streamlines the process of fermenting plant sugar to fuel by helping yeast survive industrial toxins. More corn is grown in the United…
University of Tsukuba research team sheds new light on how fungi that cause diseases can penetrate tissues by squeezing through tiny gaps between plant or…
Fully occupied intensive care units (ICUs). Physically and mentally exhausted health workers. Chaotically overcrowded hospitals. These and similar problems posed by the COVID-19 pandemic in…
Researchers have re-animated specimens of a fungus that causes coffee wilt to discover how the disease evolved and how its spread can be prevented. Coffee…
Researchers have discovered a group of soil bacteria that could yield alternatives to conventional fertilizers for enriching soil and improving crop yields. A team of…
Inspired by fungus, new form of synthetic melanin acts as natural detoxifier. The idea of creating selectively porous materials has captured the attention of chemists…
Researchers from the University of Ottawa have discovered that plants may be able to control the genetics of their intimate root symbionts – the organism…
Genetic analysis shows that reindeer lichens reproduce sexually as opposed to asexually more often than researchers thought. In northern Canada, the forest floor is carpeted…
Researchers have sequenced the genome of Alexander Fleming’s penicillin mold for the first time and compared it to later versions. Alexander Fleming famously discovered the…
As a first-year graduate student studying truffle ecology at Oregon State University, Dan Luoma attended a scientific meeting in 1981 on Orcas Island in Washington….
Mind games aren’t exclusive to humans. Cicadas infected with the parasitic fungus Massospora unknowingly engage in trickery with their fellow insects, resulting in effective disease…
While many of us use social media to be tickled silly by cat videos or wowed by delectable cakes, others use them to discover new…
An enormous library of products derived from more than ten thousand fungi could help us find new drugs. Researchers from the group of Jeroen den…
Slime molds are gelatinous amoebae that are classified as protists, a taxonomic group. Slime molds, while brainless, are smarter than they look. Physarum polycephalum can…