Genetic sequencing of samples collected from across the country contribute to a global database and may help researchers assess the damage caused by war.
fungi
How Soil Symbionts Could Unlock Climate-Smart Agriculture
By tracing the evolutionary history of beneficial soil microbes, scientists hope to unearth a sustainable solution for producing food to feed a growing global population.
Soil Fungi May Be a Carbon Pool
New research suggests that mycorrhizal fungi take in 13 billion tons of carbon dioxide annually, playing a prominent role in Earth’s carbon cycle.
Rethinking How Valley Fever Spreads
Scientists have long assumed that dust storms lead to infections with the desert soil fungus Coccidioides, but new evidence suggests otherwise.
Hardwood Forest Soils Are Sinks for Plant-Produced Volatiles
New research identifies temperature, moisture, and soil fungi as important factors in influencing how biogenic volatile organic compounds cycle between plants and the atmosphere.
Mushrooms Could Provide a Record of Grassland History
Scientists measured carbon isotopes in certain types of fungi to assess whether the organisms can track how climate change is affecting grasses.
Mysterious "Fairy Circles" Continue to Enchant Scientists
Researchers revisit an old theory about the ethereal patterns of vegetation that form in some arid landscapes.
Microbial Communities Form Iron Shells in Abandoned Mines
Fungi and bacteria deposit metal ions on steel objects left behind by miners. These metals form strange clam-like shells on the steel surfaces.
Fungus, Physics Explain Weird Tresses of Ice
Alfred Wegener, of plate tectonics fame, proposed a link nearly 100 years ago between fungi and "hair ice" on dead wood. A new study has identified the fungus and how it may influence ice structure.