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At first glance, nature seems easily divisible between plants and animals. Fungi, however, are a pretty big plot twist in this otherwise simple narrative. After all, fungi appear to be mostly plantlike and were classified as such for centuries. Mushrooms grow out of the ground like plants, and even microscopic fungi such as yeast don’t have any recognizable animalian qualities. But once you start analyzing fungi genetics, the story gets a lot more complicated. For one, fungi don’t have chloroplasts, the part of a plant cell necessary for photosynthesis. Fungi obtain nutrients by secreting a digestive enzyme into their surroundings and then absorbing nutrients, unlike the process of photosynthesis that plants use to obtain their food. And last (but not least), evidence suggests that fungi are more genetically related to animals than plants.
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It's a factThe human body is a destination hot spot for all types of fungi. Popular haunts include the toenails and in between our toes. However, the most vibrant fungal community is on our heels, which are home to 80 types of fungi alone.
Using a process called computational phylogenetics, scientists analyzed eukaryotes — any cell with a clearly defined nucleus — and found that fungi and humans form a biological clade, meaning the two organisms share a common ancestor. This clade is called “opisthokonta,” named for the posterior flagellum that propels both animal sperm and fungal spores. Some 1.5 billion years ago, animals and fungi separated from plants, and fungi then separated from animals an estimated 10 million years later. Today, humans share roughly 50% of our DNA with your average fungus.
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______, one of the most important medical discoveries of the 20th century, is a fungus.
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Penicillin, one of the most important medical discoveries of the 20th century, is a fungus.
A mushroom in New Zealand is brilliantly blue — and scientists don’t know why.
Travel the beautiful forests of New Zealand, especially during the spring, and you’ll likely come across a fungal oddity — an intensely bright blue mushroom known as werewere-kokako (Entoloma hochstetteri). This strange mushroom, which can also be found on the country’s $50 bill, glows a brilliant blue between April and June. Despite its trippy appearance, the mushroom does not contain the psychedelic compound psilocybin. Although scientists have attempted to grow the mushroom in laboratories for further study (with less-than-stellar results), no one knows why the mushroom is so blue, and researchers have yet to isolate the pigment that makes it so. Theories behind the coloring suggest that it may be a way to attract birds or deter insects, but for now, the blue mushrooms of New Zealand remain an eye-catching mystery.
Darren Orf lives in Portland, has a cat, and writes about all things science and climate. You can find his previous work at Popular Mechanics, Inverse, Gizmodo, and Paste, among others.
