Research shows caterpillar fungus can slow down growth of cancer cells: "The caterpillar fungi are famous in Asia as a health food and traditional medicine. Cordycepin, which is produced by Cordyceps militaris, a pretty orange fungus that infects caterpillars, has shown promise as a cancer medicine"

submitted by neolib from nottingham.ac.uk

A Cemetery’s Immortal Residents and the Scientist Who Studies Them - Lichens growing on gravestones appear immune to aging. What does their life cycle teach us about death?

submitted by neolib from atlasobscura.com

Fungi could be given same status as flora and fauna under conservation plan - Proposal to Cop16 could see ‘funga’ get global legal consideration distinct from flora and fauna: "... without fungi, most plants are unable to live outside water and therefore life on Earth as we know it would not exist"

submitted by neolib from theguardian.com

Why does everyone like the mushroom so much?

submitted by LarrySwinger2 from self.fungi

A simple experiment revealed the complex ‘thoughts’ of fungi - Mycelium can plan and strategize based on their surroundings, even without brains: "You’d be surprised at just how much fungi are capable of. They have memories, they learn, and they can make decisions"

submitted by neolib from popsci.com

How can a fungus take over a fly's behavior? An international group of researchers with participation from the University of Copenhagen hopes to find out with the help of a new genetic map of a unique fungus that transforms 60-80 percent of the flies in your home into zombies.

submitted by neolib from science.ku.dk

Mushroom learns to crawl after being given robot body - Biohybrid machine ushers new era of robotics, scientists say: "The biohybrid robot uses electrical signals from an edible type of mushroom called a king trumpet in order to move around and sense its environment."

submitted by neolib from independent.co.uk

Out of Sight, ‘Dark Fungi’ Run the World from the Shadows

submitted by neolib from scientificamerican.com

How the Zombie Fungus Takes Over Ants’ Bodies to Control Their Minds - The infamous parasite’s methods are more complex and more sinister than anyone suspected. (2017)

submitted by neolib from theatlantic.com

This fungus turns cicadas into zombies who procreate until they die: Massospora consumes cicadas from the inside out then drives them to mate—in the process making infected males more attractive to both sexes.

submitted by neolib from nationalgeographic.com

"Fungi Can Teach Us a New Way of Looking at the World" Fungi's role in our world has been vastly underestimated, says biologist Merlin Sheldrake. They can even make decisions, just like us. (2020)

submitted by neolib from spiegel.de