NASA has selected 16 cool new futuristic space technology concepts for further study. Four of them are from NASA’s own Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL), including a railway system on the moon to move cargo. Source: https://earthsky.org/space/futuristic-space-technology-concepts-nasa-jpl-niac…
Tag: Fungi
Newly discovered fungi turn flies into zombies and devour them from the inside out
Two newly discovered fungi eat flies from the inside out while dropping new spores out of holes dissolved in the living flies’ abdomens. Source: https://www.livescience.com/fungus-turns-flies-into-zombies.html
Wildfire Smoke Is Loaded With Microbes. Is That Dangerous?
An anonymous reader quotes a report from Wired: If you’re unfortunate enough to breathe wildfire smoke, you’re getting a lungful of charred plant material, noxious gases, and — if the fire tore through human structures — incinerated synthetic materials. All across the board, it’s bad stuff, proven to be a severe detriment to human health, particularly for those with respiratory conditions…
Hidden world of bacteria and fungi discovered on Leonardo da Vinci’s drawings
Researchers examining Leonardo Da Vinci’s drawings found a microbiome — a hidden biological signature of their travels across centuries. Source: https://www.livescience.com/da-vinci-drawings-microbiome.html
Potent new antifungal discovered in the microbiome of marine animals
A new antifungal compound that is effective against multidrug-resistant fungi has been isolated from bacteria living in filter-feeding marine animals called sea squirts Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/2260392-potent-new-antifungal-discovered-in-the-microbiome-of-marine-animals/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…
A Disturbing Twinkie That Has, So Far, Defied Science
Apparently Twinkies aren’t immortal. After discovering that his 8-year-old Twinkies “tasted like old sock,” biologist Colin Purrington sent them to a pair of scientists — Brian Lovett and Matt Kasson from West Virginia University in Morgantown — to study the kind of fungus growing on them. An anonymous reader shares the report from NPR: The researchers immediately thought some kind of…
Testing Chernobyl fungi as a radiation shield for astronauts
A team of researchers from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte and Stanford University has tested the viability of using a type of fungus found growing in some of the destroyed nuclear reactors at the former Chernobyl nuclear power plant site to shield astronauts from radiation. They have written a paper describing their work and have uploaded it to the…
Self-Replicating Chernobyl Mold Tested on ISS as a Space Radiation Shield
Humans on the moon and Mars would face the problem of damaging space radiation. But new research suggests one possible solution to the fact that “Space wants to kill you,” according to CNET:
To protect astronauts, scientists have been studying an unusually hardy organism, discovered in one of the most radioactive places on the planet: Chernobyl… In some parts of the plant,…
Evolution: Why it seems to have a direction, and what to expect next
Does evolution always and inevitably generates greater diversity and complexity, having a predictable direction? Source: https://earthsky.org/earth/evolution-direction-what-to-expect-next…
There is so much we don’t yet know about fungi
Fungi are perhaps the most enigmatic organisms on the planet. Entangled Life by Merlin Sheldrake says we are only just beginning to discover how they work Source: https://www.newscientist.com/article/mg24632850-900-there-is-so-much-we-dont-yet-know-about-fungi/?utm_campaign=RSS%7CNSNS&utm_source=NSNS&utm_medium=RSS&utm_content=home…